Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Health by the numbers

I've blogged about how much I love running. It gives me energy, makes me feel happy, and gives me a body I feel great about. But what about my overall health?

I get annual well woman exams, and I get blood work before the appointment. I got my blood work done last week, and my appointment was yesterday. Of course the nurse takes my pulse and blood pressure at the appointment too. I was excited to see how my numbers had changed since last year.

Compared to last year, my diet may be slightly healthier, but I think it's mostly the same. I do eat less than I did a year ago, but that's because I was still breastfeeding Zoodle then. The biggest change has been in my fitness. For 7 months I've been running three days a week, and I've also recently been doing strengthening exercises at home. What difference has that made?

Blood pressure:
2009: 102/72
2010: 96/64

Pulse:
2009: 80 bpm
2010: 72 bpm

Glucose:
2009: 87 mg/dl
2010: 70 mg/dl

Lipid panel:
Cholesterol (C); Triglycerides (T); HDL (H); LDL (L); Risk ratio LDL/LDL (R)
2009: C 169; T 50; H 55; L 104; R 1.89
2010: C 153; T 55; H 51; L 91; R 1.78

My triglyceride and HDL numbers are slightly worse, but all of the other numbers have improved. Total cholesterol has come down 9.5%. I really pay attention my lipids to since I'm genetically predisposed to high cholesterol.

One number that is about the same? My weight. Health is about so much more than weight. I was thin before I started running. The number on the scale hasn't changed significantly, but my body has changed, inside and out. I'm thrilled to see some proof that the running is making a real difference in my health!

3 comments:

Lola said...

That's wonderful! It is so true that the number on the scale is not the only indicator of health - and great job on all your improvements!

Heidi said...

That's great!! Congrats! Have you ever had your lipoprotein A tested? It's not part of a "standard" bloodwork but my Dr's office did it and I'm VERY thankful they did! On the surface I have good cholesterol (including a very high HDL) but I also have this inherited protein that's through the roof and puts me at high risk of heart disease. (normal range is 0-30 and mine is 118!)

CONGRATS!!!

Traci said...

Those are some pretty impressive numbers you have there. Wow, your blood pressure is low. When you got your blood taken, were you fasting?