Saturday 21 January 2012

Watch out for those danger signs


So you think you are healthy? But how sure are you? Very often, men do not pay attention to their health. It is only when their body starts showing certain symptoms that they do something about it. A full medical check-up is something that far too many men put off for years, and this is one of the biggest reasons why unexpected health concerns occur.If you don’t score well on these parameters, it is time to make a few changes in your diet, workout or lifestyle to get yourself in better overall shape to guarantee a healthier you.

Pink nails
The colour of your nails tells a lot about your health condition. You ideally want them to be pink, firm to the touch and have a smooth surface. If you have white spots or a few ripples, you may want to check for diabetes. Likewise, if your nails are yellow, this can indicate a respiratory disease.
Urine colour
It is not absurd to check the colour of your urine as it is the best indicator of how hydrated your body is. If the colour of your urine is a deep yellow, it means that you are not drinking enough of fluids. Also if you notice an odour or blood in the urine, it’s a cause of great concern. You need to consult your physician.
Regular bowel movements
In the same vein, bowel movements must occur everyday, at the same time. If yours only occur periodically or are too hard or soft, it is abnormal. Monitor your fibre intake, consult a nutritionist, make a few changes as needed and then reassess the situation before seeking medical advice.
Sound sleep
Lack of sleep causes you to feel mentally fatigued during the day and indicates that the body is at risk of a stroke or heart disease. If waking up every morning without an alarm is war, then start sleeping early. But make sure that your body has had sufficient rest. A good night’s sleep ensures that the internal rhythm of the body functions effectively. Staying well rested is essential to good health.
Proper BMI levels
If you are 10 pounds lower than your ideal body weight, it’s obviously unhealthy. In order to check your overall health level asses your BMI. This medical standard places you in either the underweight, normal weight, or overweight categories. You should also have a body-fat test taken. Together, these can be more telling than the BMI alone, which can place more muscular individuals in the overweight category. A healthy male under 40 should have 8-19% body fat and those over 41 should be in the 11-22% range.
Normal heart rate
The first health check to look at is your resting heart rate. Ideally, your resting heart rate should be around 70 beats per minute or lower. If it’s higher than this, it is risky. Devote a little more time to your cardiovascular training to make your heart stronger and more efficient. Another easy assessment of your health is to time how long it takes your heart rate to return to normal after completing a cardiovascular session. The sooner it springs back down, the better shape you’re in. Ideally, it should return to resting in five minutes or less. To test your cardiovascular fitness on the other hand, try a onemile run. If it takes you longer than 15 minutes to complete, your fitness level is poor. The faster you can run the mile and the lower your heart rate, the better is your physical condition.
Aim for 20 pushups
One great health standard is how many pushups you can perform in one row without rest while maintaining proper form. Anything less than 20 straight full pushups means you need to devote a little more time and effort to your strength training routine.

No comments: