Do you make your health a priority? Get up a little earlier to workout and search out healthy recipes? If you do, you get a pat on the back! Are you also tracking what you are doing so you know if you're staying the course? Deciding to improve your health and prevent disease is an admirable goal, but to reach it you need to be tracking the steps you are taking. If you don't know if you've gotten there or where you are on the path toward your goals, you won't get the satisfaction of knowing you have arrived.
Were you one of the millions of people who set out on New Year's Day to lose weight, stop smoking or eat right? If you did, one of the first steps you should have taken is a realistic assessment of where you were and where you wanted to be. If you didn't do it then and you've lost track of your goals you can start now by establishing your health baseline and making a plan for how you will measure your progress. Everyone's body is different and what is OK for one person is awful or another, so determining where you are is the only way to know if you've improved in 3 months, or in 6 months or a year from now.
Some goals are easier to set because you don't have to go further than your bathroom. Losing weight is stepping on the scale and setting a number of pounds to lose overall, breaking that down into how many pounds you want to lose each week or month and then taking action to do it. Stopping smoking is another easy one in terms of goal setting. You're smoking now and in 3 months or 6 months you don't want to be smoking. What aids will you use to help you get there? Will you go cold turkey or wean yourself off smoking slowly and if so, how slowly. What habits do you need to change and what can you substitute so you are focusing on something positive: which positive habits will you establish instead?
Getting healthy is much too vague, though and you can set yourself up for disappointment if you start that way. How many times have you heard, "Before beginning a weight loss program, consult your doctor...?" To ensure that you don't have hidden risk factors and to provide a baseline for measuring future progress, some tests that you may want to take that can help you pinpoint what getting healthy means include:
Basic Tests including a complete blood count, a chemistry panel, a lipid panel, a urinalysis and a blood pressure check,Glucose (Serum Test) to measure sugar in the blood, an indicator of diabetes,C-Reactive Protein test to identify inflammation that may indicate specific diseases,A VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) test that looks more deeply at lipid levels and density to provide a clearer picture of cardiovascular health, andA PLAC test which measures Lp-PLA2, a vascular specific inflammatory enzyme that is associated with a very high risk of stroke.If your "bad" cholesterol or LDL is too high you can lay out a plan to eat more fruits and vegetables, cut back on the red meat and trans fats, and start exercising. This will also increase your "good" cholesterol, the HDL, and help you lose weight if that is also a goal. Conversely, losing weight will help with your cholesterol levels.
If your glucose level is too high, if could be an indication that you have or are on your way to developing diabetes. Exercising and reducing the amount of sugar you eat can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and give you control over your long term health. Ultimately, you are the only one who can make a positive change that lasts.
When you eat foods that are good for you, exercising and losing weight can be measured objectively; with the numbers on the scale, the dress or pants size, the amount of time spent exercising and the test results that you get at your lab testing center or doctor's office. Monitoring your weight daily when you embark on a weight loss program is critical. Continuing to monitor your weight frequently will help you keep it off. Watching your cholesterol, Lp-PLA2 or glucose serum levels will let you know that you are also on track for extending your life, making those extra years more enjoyable and taking control of how your body holds up in your twilight years.
Maureen A. Young is a Customer Education Advocate for Any Lab Test Now. She writes blogs, eBooks, and articles on current topics in Health and Wellness, Employer Drug Programs and Informational Lab Tests. Connect with them at http://www.anylabtestnow.com/
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