Fitness Friday-Health Screening

It just so happens that the kids and I were trapped at Sams this weekend...due to a huge patch of thunderstorms that rolled through DFW one after another...so I decided to take advantage of their free health screenings.

We miraculously only had 4 non-refrigerated things in our cart....the more I think about that it becomes more and more supernatural to me...we have never once left Sams without a full cart and without something that needed to be kept cold..huh.

So I grabbed the kids two pizza combos with sprite to share ...momma, ain't no fool. It was close to 1 and even though we had just had a snack I didn't want Sams to witness the 100 levels of "hangry"..thats hungry angry that a member of our family (parents included) goes through when they are even semi hungry or semi bored.

The first thing they tested was my glucose level. They pricked my finger, asked if I was fasting and squeezed until they got enough blood. My # was a 108 which anything under 140 is normal. Anything between 140-200 is pre-diabetic and anything over 200 indicates diabetes. He noted that was a little low but when I said I hadn't had lunch yet he just said to eat as soon as I could ;). DONE!!!

Next he tested my Cholesterol levels using the same blood drawn for glucose. My total Cholesterol was a 171 which anything under 200 is desirable. My HDL (high density lipo-protein) was a 32...which is very low for a female since anything under 50 indicates high risk.

He told me that there are several ways to improve this #.
1-Quit smoking if I do....nope
2-Exercise....yup, check
3-Less sugar in diet..guilty, I could cut out a little more :)
4-Add in more purple foods....grapes, figs (MY FAV), purple cabbage and eggplant. These act like a supplement that both raise your HDL and lower your LDL (the bad cholesterol). They also add in fiber to your diet which can raise your #'s.
5-Eat 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate a day.....um, why didn't you start with this one??
6-Eat fatty fish like salmon once a week..I am more at like 2x a month so increasing that is do-able.
7-Drink red wine...eh, I am not big on the taste but if I must I must :).

Here is a little bit more of what I found out about HDL....HDL cholesterol is a scavenger that cleans up bad cholesterol. Having high levels of HDL cholesterol (at least 60 mg/dL) helps protect against heart disease and offers possibly even wider health benefits. An analysis of health information from 2,476 adults published in the journal Gut showed that the higher a person’s HDL level, the lower their risk for colon cancer.

My cute lunch date the other day. He of course chose Costa Vida to eat it...we both took home 1/2 of our lunch as the portions are out of control. I thought I could make this picture work in this post though since I have some purple tortilla strips in my salad...and purple foods raise HDL #'s...ha, probably not that kind of purple food though :).

The next screening was my blood pressure, using the cuff we are all used to. Ever since I started this health journey I get compliments about how great my blood pressure is. I never knew it was so heavily linked to exercise and heart rate. Now it makes complete sense. Mine that day was 103/73...which anything under 120/80 is normal. He actually noted that this was probably a little high too as I had just yelled at Baby Boy to pick up his pizza off the table, stop wiping his hands on his sister and to not ever pull the straw out of the drink again!!!

Moving along to what I was most interested in ...BODY FAT PERCENTAGE. Its one think to get thinner....its another to reduce your body fat and gain muscle!!!

So for a female in her early 30s anything under 21% is considered low, anywhere from 21-32% is normal.  I came in at 18.1%!!! He asked if I lifted weights? I said yes and said "GOOD FOR YOU. Most women don't realize how much they need to incorporate weights into their routine. They build muscle, help you constantly burn fat, create a strong core which is great for balance and allow your body to re cooperate after an injury quicker."  He said even though 18.1 was low it was healthy as long as I kept weights in my routine.

My normal grouping of weights...30 lb kettlebell, 15s and 10s, bar plus 10 on both sides. Other than that all I need is a mat and sometimes a med ball!

He sent me straight to the cafeteria where I got a yogurt with berries and granola, along with some sushi :).

I totally wish I had the time and money ...oh and energy..to go back and get my degree in exercise science or nutrition...its all so interesting. It ALSO points me back to the Creator EVERYTIME. How else could our bodies do all the of the required things it does to keep us alive, to warn us of sickness, to protect us from harm, to continue to grow and build on itself and then to decline as we age...its all so indicative of a Sovereign, Organized, Creative God!!!!

If you are a Sam's Member they do these screenings about once a month. The one in June is targeted at men and includes glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat, vision, hearing and prostrate Antigens (no clue).

OHHH, you also get free samples...imagine that, free samples from Sams!!...But for real, when they finished my screening I got 2 free protein shakes, toothpaste and a bag of coupons for health related items!!