Keeping Track of Your Numbers can lead to Better Health

Now that New Year’s has come and gone, have you already slacked off on your resolution to improve your heart health? If you have, experts say today is just as good of a day to begin.

To get started, an effective way to monitor your heart health goals is to keep track of your daily exercise, blood pressure, weight, and cholesterol numbers. An easy way to track your daily exercise is to wear a fitness watch. Many models give you information on everything from counting steps, your heart beat, calories you burn, and the duration and quality of your sleep. 

Body weight is another indicator of overall health. To get an idea of where you stand, find your body mass index (BMI) as it measures your overall body fat. The higher your BMI, the higher your risk for certain conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and more. 

It is recommended you make an appointment with your healthcare provider to get to know your numbers. This should include checking your blood pressure and drawing blood to find out your cholesterol numbers. If you have diabetes, ask your doctor how often you need to test your blood sugar levels.

If good heart health for you means losing some weight, one suggestion is to keep a daily food journal to stay on track of what you eat and drink. It can also help you get in the habit of drinking more water each day. Keep your journal in a place where you will remember to update it. Experts say following the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a science-based way of eating that can help you reduce high blood pressure and has other heart health benefits. 

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