1. HEALTH BASICS What should our vitals be?

2. Body Mass Index  It is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to both adult men and women.  To calculate the BMI: Weight in pounds (Height in inches x Height in inches) x 703 For example, a person who weighs 220 pounds and is 6 feet 3 inches tall has a BMI of 27.5 (220/(75x75)) x 703 = 27.5

4. Cholesterol Levels  HDL is the good cholesterol and LDL is the bad cholesterol.  Both types are combined for a cholesterol reading.  It is desirable to have less than 200. Borderline high is 200 to 239 and high is 240 and above.  For the reading of HDL only, men that have less than 40 and women that have less than 50 are at a high risk for heart disease. If the HDL is above 60, then that is considered protective against heart disease.  For the reading of LDL only, it should be less than 100. Borderline high is 130 to 159 and anything above 190 is very high.  In the cholesterol breakdown, you will also see triglycerides. Less than 150 is normal. Borderline high is 150 to 199 and anything above 500 is very high.  A buildup of cholesterol leads to atherosclerosis.

6. Blood Pressure  This is the force exerted by the circulating blood in the walls of blood vessels.  It is measured in systolic (the maximum pressure) and diastolic (the minimum pressure).  The average blood pressure is 120/80.  High blood pressure is termed hypertension.  Stage 1 high blood pressure is when the systolic number is 140-159 or the diastolic number is 90-99.  Stage 2 high blood pressure is when the systolic number is 160 or higher, or the diastolic number is 100 or higher.

8. Blood Sugar Levels  It is the amount of glucose (sugar) present in the blood.  Normally, the body maintains the blood glucose level at a reference range between about 3.6 and 5.8.  It is regulated through homeostasis.  A high level of glucose is hyperglycemia and a low level is lypoglycemia.  Normally, blood sugar levels should be: before breakfast – 80 to 120, before meals – 80 to 120, 2 hours after meals – 160 or less, and at bedtime – 100 to 140

10. Pulse Rate  This is the rate at which your heart beats.  It is measured in beats per minute (bpm).  You can take your pulse in your neck, wrist, back of the knee, upper arm, and foot.  The best time to find your resting pulse is to take it before ever getting out of bed.  The average resting heart rate for an adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute.  Bradycardia occurs when the rate is below 50 and tachycardia occurs when the rate is above 100.

11. Target Heart Rate  220 – (your age) = maximum heart rate  Multiply maximum heart rate by.60 to get your lower limit.  Multiply maximum heart rate by.85 to get your upper limit.  The limits give you a range in which your heart rate should be to get the benefits of a cardio workout.

13. Respirations  They are ideally counted for a minute.  The normal respirations in adults is 12-20 respirations per minute.  Illness or injury can affect respirations.

14. Caloric Intake  On the average, you should take in 2,000 calories. Based on the caloric equation, to lose weight you must burn more than what you eat.  There are 3,500 calories in a pound. That is how many you must burn to lose a pound.  To help you better figure out what you need to lose, calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

15. BMR  Men:  66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)  Women:  655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years) To add to this, you can add your activity rate. If you are sedentary – BMR x 20%, if you are lightly active – BMP x 30%, if you are moderately active – BMR x 40%, if you are very active – BMR x 50%. Add this new number to your BMR. This gives you the number of calories to eat every day to maintain your weight. Therefore, to lose weight, you will need to eat fewer. As you lose weight, you will need to recalculate.