Here Is Your Overall Heart

1. Check your Omega-3 score for brain function and anti-inflammation. You should be getting about 2.6g of these essential fatty acids at least 3 times/week.
2. Check your blood pressure. You’re looking for 80/120. 80 = the amount of pressure in your arteries each time your heart beats. 120 = the pressure between beats. There are ways to bring your blood pressure to this level and keep it there.
3. Check your Vitamin D intake. You want a blood test of 20mg/mL. That tells you how many milligrams of vitamin D is in one milliliter of your blood.
4. Check your  Glucose levels. You’re looking for a 4-6 mmol/L. This is the number of millimoles of glucose (a.k.a. blood sugar) per liter of blood. To get the number down, one tip is to avoid sweets, but there are several other ways.
5. Check your Cholesterol. You’re looking for a score of 5.2 mmol/L or under. Cholesterol and its derivatives are an important part of our cells, but a high level in our blood is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
6. Check your waist line. It should not be more than 36 inches generally. Keep yourself at a healthy weight is an extremely important part of overall health.
7. Check your resting Heart Rate. You’re looking for 60-100 beats/min. The lower your resting heart rate the healthier you are.
8. Check your T-Score. You’re looking for (-1) SD or higher. Your T-score measures bone density. It is measured in units called standard deviations (SDs), which indicate how far your bones deviate from what is considered normal.

Chatelaine Magazine (chatelain.com) by Lora Grady; Consulting experts Dr. David Satok and Dr. Beth Andramson Updated Aug 16, 2013