Why perform health assessments?
Because understanding how healthy you are, and
how lifestyle choices affect your health, can
lengthen and improve your quality of life.
Leading causes of death
The leading causes of death for both men and
women around 1900 were primarily infectious disease
related. The list included scarlet fever,
diphtheria, influenza, work-related accidents,
typhoid fever and tuberculosis, among others.
Today the list is quite different.
Leading causes of death in the U.S. for men:
- All cardiovascular diseases such as mycardial
infarction (MI), stroke, congestive heart failure
(CHF), etc.
- All cancers
- Accidents
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Pneumonia and Influenza
Leading causes of death in the U.S. for women:
- All cardiovascular diseases such as mycardial
infarction (MI), stroke, congestive heart failure
(CHF), etc.
- All cancers
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Pneumonia and Influenza
- Diabetes Mellitus
Quite a dramatic shift. Unfortunately,
modern society and its associated high standard of
living is not conducive to healthy living. We
experience way too much inactivity, stress,
bureaucracy, automation and just plain laziness.
Seven risk factors for CHD
There are seven leading (major) risk factors for
Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).
- Elevated blood cholesterol
level
- Hypertension (high blood
pressure)
- Cigarette smoking
- Impaired fasting glucose
and diabetes mellitus
- Family history
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Obesity
This list is very important. Notice risk
factor 5 (family history) is the only one not under
your direct control. This means a program to
quickly and regularly measure your fitness level is
an essential part of any smart lifestyle plan to
significantly reduce the risk of serious illness.
What is fitness?
There are many definitions for fitness. One
that encompasses all aspects of physical health is:
"The ability to carry out daily tasks with
vigor and alertness, without undo fatigue, with
ample energy to engage in leisure time pursuits and
to meet the above average physical stresses
encountered in emergency situations."
- The Cooper Institute
Everyone should engage in regular physical
activity at a level appropriate to their capacities,
needs and interests. Significant health
benefits can be obtained by setting and reaching a
goal of accumulating at least 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity on most,
preferably all, days a week.
Those individuals who currently meet these
standards may derive additional benefits by becoming
more physically active or including more vigorous
activity in their daily routine.
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