Raising A Family

February is Heart Health month. We all know that diet and exercise keep your ticker happy, but there’s a few other things we need to be reminded of. The first is to know your numbers. I know, as we’ve hit the thirty mark and on, we’ve been told to have our blood tested. As much as we don’t want to hear the reality of how bad our diet is affecting our blood, we’ve decided our health is more important than our pride! So, this is the year for us to get tested and see what we need to do to keep our heart healthy for many years to come. Here are a few crucial tests to take.

• A C-reactive protein level test: measures the inflammatory activity in your immune system (the lower, the better).
• Fasting glucose test: If you are overweight, get screened every three years; if not, start at age 45. A normal result is less than 100 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter).
• Cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure: A rise in blood pressure, a spike in triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, and a larger-than-normal waist circumference might point to insulin resistance or pre-diabetes (also known as metabolic syndrome).

So, if you haven’t had a physical in a while, make and appointment and get your blood tests run. It’s the first step in ensuring your heart is healthy. Use the knowledge you find to your advantage and do what you need to to get your numbers where they should be. Remember your health is everything.