The first step to taking charge of your own health is to determine where on the general health ladder you stand right now – what rung you’re on compared to the "average," or "ideal," 50s Joe. That will  be a critical point of reference from which you can put the rest of
this book into personal context.

  And we know that’s important because if you can’t apply this book to your own situation, then it’s not worth very much.

Besides, it’s always an interesting exercise to see where you stand against everyone else – even if the results might not be what you expect.

  Don’t worry, though, you don’t have to jump through any hoops, do any push ups, or answer any questions that involve speeding trains and velocity vectors (although one does involve math, so get out your pocket calculator). The following are the critical benchmarks by which doctors determine where you are when it comes to overall health. They’ll tell you everything from
your artery health to body fat  ratio.
 

  Ideal ranges of weight for men

  5' 1'’ 123-145       5' 2" 125-148
  5' 3"  127-151       5' 4"  129-155
  5' 5"  131-159       5' 6"  133-163 
  5' 7"  135-167       5' 8"  137-171
  5' 9"  139-175       5' 10"  141-179
  5' 11"  144-183       6' 0"  147-187
  6' 1"  158-190       6' 2"  165-195
  6' 3"  167-200       6' 4"  171-208

Additional Information: Your weight really should not change with age, although lack of exercise, change in eating habits, and reduction in muscle mass will all conspire to put on pounds as you put on years. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. So if you weigh the same at 55 as you did at 25, you should be proud – who wouldn’t? – but you should also be aware that muscle mass generally decreases with age. All of which means that your total weight should actually decrease as you get older (unless you’re pumping iron). If your weight hasn’t deceased over the years, if it’s stayed the same, then you’re probably putting on fat. (See Chapter Eight for diet and exercise details.)

Level of Importance: High. It is a good general indicator of fat to body weight ratio. Too much fat can be the underlying cause of numerous health risks and serious ailments..

How to calculate BMI: Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, then multiple the result by 705. An example: A man who’s 5' 10" (70 inches) and weighs 175 pounds would calculate: 175 divided by 4900 (70 x 70) = .0357142 times 705 = 25.18. That BMI means the man is slightly overweight.

Ideal BMI 24 or less
Considered Overweight 25 or more
Obese 30 or more

Additional Information: Be honest about your true height and weight – the result means nothing if those figures are inaccurate. In body mass indexing, no allowance is given for age. Calculate various weights above and below your own to see how the BMI changes, then set a goal BMI and start working toward it. (See Chapter Eight for diet and exercise details.) If you have a good BMI, don’t get too cocky – this index is only an indicator of fat to body weight ratio; it’s not a yard stick for overall physical conditioning. For very muscular individuals, the BMI may read falsely high.

Level of Importance: Highest. This is the primary indicator of how healthy your blood vessels are. In many ways, you’re only as healthy as your arteries are.

Ideal 120 over 80 (or less on both)
Good Range 120-129 over 80-84

Additional Information: In theory, for those who stay fit and healthy, blood pressure should not change significantly (more than a few points) during a lifetime. However, it has been shown that numerous factors do affect blood pressure, everything from age to stress levels. It’s critical to good health for those who do have high blood pressure to bring it down. This can be accomplished through the use of excellent drugs and, to a lesser degree, by exercise, proper diet, and learning how to handle stress and tension. (See Chapter Three for blood pressure and blood vessel details, Chapter Six for stress relief ideas, and Chapter Eight for diet and exercise details.)

Level of Importance: Highest. Research has established that those with a high level of cholesterol in their blood have a greater risk of heart disease (the number one killer of adults in the world) than those with a low cholesterol level.

Ideal ranges
HDL (good cholesterol) More than 40
LDL (bad cholesterol) 0 to 100
Total cholesterol count Less Than 200

Additional Information: These figures represent new – and tougher – official government guidelines that were released in early 2001. The only way to get an accurate count of HDL and LDL is to fast 12 hours before the test. Even the milk in a cup of coffee can affect the results. It is critical to good health that high cholesterol levels be brought down. Exercise can play an important role in this (it can actually increase your HDL), as can diet, and the use of any number of excellent drugs which have been developed to lower cholesterol. (See Chapter Three for cholesterol details and Chapter Eight for diet and exercise details.)

5. Blood Sugar (Glucose) Level

Level of Importance: High. Any blood sugar levels out of the normal range could signify diabetes, which can lead to permanent, severe organ and/or body system damage, and ultimately, if not controlled, death.

Fasting Range 65-110

Additional Information: If a person registers a fasting blood sugar level of 110 to 125 this means he’s borderline and will be monitored. If a person has two separate blood tests where both times the fasting level is over 126, he’s a diabetic. Because there are rarely any symptoms from diabetes until it has become seriously advanced, monitoring blood sugar and sugar in the urine are the only ways of detecting this potentially fatal disease. Make sure to truly fast overnight before the test. Diet and exercise can have a tremendous impact on how your body processes sugar. (See Chapter Four for diabetes details, and Chapter Eight for diet and exercise details.)

Level of Importance: High, especially for men in our age group. This is a time when an aggressive form of prostate cancer can take its greatest toll (Frank Zappa, the rock musician who died of prostate cancer in his 50s, is a prime example). A PSA test registers a protein that is produced by the prostate. The more protein produced, the greater chance of prostate cancer.

Normal Range for 50s men 0 to 4

Additional Information: Testing should start at 50 (earlier in African-American males and those with a family history), and be done on a yearly basis so any spikes in the readings (even though still in the normal range) can be caught. Increased age (especially beyond 60) generally means higher average readings, even without cancer being present. The PSA test is controversial because it can have both false positives (a high reading when you don’t have cancer) and false negatives (a low reading when you do have cancer), but we believe the benefits of testing outweigh these relatively slight inconveniences, especially when stacked up against the aggressive, fast-moving form of prostate cancer. (See Chapter Four for prostate details.)

Level of Importance: High. If your lifestyle or job does not include 20 to 30 minutes of physical activity (walking at the very least) several days a week, you are not doing what you should be doing.

Additional Information: No exercise is ever useless, but if you’re not breaking even a little sweat or feeling your heart pound just a bit, it’s not enough. To establish fitness, you need to sustain some form of exercise (preferably aerobic to start with) that puts at least a slight strain on you and your heart, or you’re not getting full value for your exercise. (See Chapter Eight for exercise details.)

  End Of Chapter One