I have been in a tizzy for weeks now after doing an online health evaluation for My Life Check through the American Heart Association
Nintendo Wii and the Heart Association asked a group of bloggers to do the evaluation and then come to a party at the W Hotel in Hollywood, with their health score proudly pinned on their shirt. My health score was so bad I was embarrassed to wear it.
Out of 10, I was 7.8. 7.8. Me. I’m running at least 28 miles on an average week. I eat Brussels sprouts, spinach, or chard a couple times a week. Other than sugar, I don’t have many vices. I hardly drink wine at all now that I’m training for the Los Angeles Marathon.
I had to figure out why my health score was not a 10. My one vice, sugar, may be a part of that. The health score asks a series of questions from how many cups of fruits and vegetables you’re eating and if you smoke. I did well on both of those, but it asked for blood sugar reading. Mine was 100, which is the borderline number for being pre-diabetic. Prediabetic. A vision of my great uncle who lost both his legs to diabetes flashed in front of me. If I’m working this hard to be prediabetic, what will happen to me after the marathon when I’m back to exercising a few times a week and eating a cheese-based diet?
The answers could only be found at the doctor, who had been trying to schedule a physical for me the last two times I had been in to see him. Well, now I was ready for a physical. It wasn’t just the blood sugar I was worried about. I didn’t have a cholesterol or blood pressure reading for the test. When I did the blood pressure reading at home it was ridiculously high. But it also was for my husband so we figured the machine that my husband got at a conference was broken (or hoped it was).
Of course I didn’t get in to see my doctor right away, but I decided to take action ASAP. I threw away the Halloween candy that I had started eating way before Halloween and I tried not to buy any Christmas candy. And I cut out dessert. A bunch of sugar right before bed can’t be good for you. Once I started training for the marathon I started having dessert every night. No more (unless we’re at someone else’s house. That would be rude).
Well, I got into the doctor and had all of my tests done. The nurse took my blood pressure and it was sky high, but my doctor redid it and it was fine. In fact, everything was fine. My standing heart rate was 60, my blood pressure was 100 over 60 and my asthma, which has been bothering me for months, is finally under control.
Right before Christmas, I got my test results and my cholesterol is great, my blood sugar normal, and my weight is, well, it’s fine.
I would advise anyone to take the My Life Check test and “check in” on their health. I really think I lowered my blood sugar in the weeks before my appointment by cutting down on sugar and alcohol. I had not had a physical in years and I had been on a sugar free-for-all until I stopped myself. It really made me think about what I was putting into my body and how it can affect my health.
After compiling all of the missing information, I retook the test. My new My Life Check score? 10.