The Numbers

             One of my favorite Americans ,Benjamin Franklin, stressed the bountiful benefits of being  healthy, wealthy and wise. I think most of us would agree that remaining healthy is a goal we desire for ourselves and those we love ,whatever their stage in life.  Certainly most of us who are retired know that keeping up our health is a key factor to maintaining a happy and productive retirement. There are three  numbers that we absolutely need to know to maintain our health. Those three numbers are :

Blood Pressure

Cholesterol

Blood Sugar



                      First a caveat: I am not nor have I ever been a doctor. Again I was  just a ‘little ole history teacher“. But I’ve done a lot of research and this is the result of that research into the “numbers”


                                                High Blood Pressure

                   The chances of developing high blood pressure increase with age and estimates are that over half of all Americans over 65 have high blood pressure! So what can you do about it? Well, you can’t do much if you don’t know you have it, so get that physical you’ve been putting off. What are the numbers? Well, blood pressure is given in two numbers. The upper number is called systolic and the lower number is diastolic. The top number is measured when our heart  is pumping  life giving nutrients to our beautiful bodies and the second number is when our heart is taking a well deserved  rest. According to the American Heart Association your heart is said to be normal when the number is below 120, pre high blood pressure  between 120 and 139 and  when above 139  you have high blood pressure. Because our blood pressure varies, the pressure needs to be  taken more than once to reach a definite conclusion.


                                                   cholesterol

               And what “Great Caesar’s Ghost” is cholesterol? According to our friends  at the American Heart Association, it is a fat waxy substance (yuck) that is naturally found in our body and is even helpful, but the problem arises when our diet causes us to have too much of this good thing. To much  cholesterol can lead to plaque blocking the blood flow to our brains and heart and result in heart attacks or strokes. So what are the desirable numbers? Total cholesterol numbers below 200 are considered desirable, those between 200 and 239 are  considered borderline and those above 240 are considered high. However as in high blood pressure there are two numbers we need to know: HDL and LDL. Low density or LDL is the bad guy that causes the plaque mentioned earlier. An LDL total should be below 100 to be really optimal but when the number gets above 160 your LDL needs attention High density or HDL proteins are the “good guys”. you want this number to be high. Because HDL helps remove the bad LDL. An HDL number above 40 for men and above 50 for women is thought to provide some protection against heart disease and stroke


                                 blood sugar


                     The third number we need to be aware of is blood sugar. The blood sugar level you need to know is actually one type of sugar called glucose. The body needs glucose for energy, but once again too much of a good thing can lead to something bad like type 2 diabetes, as well as damage kidneys, eyes and the heart. Doctors will usually suggest you fast before the blood sugar test ( just use this as an excuse to have a big breakfast after the test) to increase the accuracy of the test. Normal blood sugar measurements are considered to be less than 100, pre-diabetes between 100-125 and diabetes is diagnosed  when the number gets above 126.


                                So What Now

                     Knowing and managing these numbers can play an essential role in having a happy energetic and productive retirement. You say you don’t know your numbers; then what are you sitting there for ,get up and make that doctor’s appointment.

Bad news department: The chances of  developing bad numbers on all three go up with age


Good news department: these numbers can be managed with medication, if necessary, but often with just a change of lifestyle and the same changes can lead to better numbers for all three:  those lifestyle changes are a healthy diet , exercise for 20-30 minutes four or five  times a week, don’t smoke, keep stress under control and keep up those relationships with friends and families.


Now dear hearts and gentle people I would love to have your comments  below on:

1. Do you have a good story about how you and/or someone you know has turned bad numbers into good numbers.

2. What steps do you take to keep those numbers under control.


Thanks for reading