Ultimate Checklist

• Schedule a checklist
• Know the 5 ingredients to avoid
• Add Healthy foods to eat
• Take a Multivitamin
• Know your numbers
• Find a health advocate
• Organize your health information
• Know the medical tests you should have
• Exercise
• Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night

5 ingredients to avoid

• High fructose corn syrup
• "Enriched"
• Sugar
• Trans Fat
• Saturated Fat

Add Healthy food to diet

Antioxidants - 5-7 servings daily

• Tomatoes
• Broccoli
• Blueberries
• Artichokes
• Kidney & Pinto Beans
• Dried Prunes

Omega 3 Fats - 3 gm daily

• Fish - salmon
• Flaxseed (grind them)
• Walnuts (12)
• Scallops
• Soybeans
• Squash

Fibre - 25 gm daily

• Lentils
• Black peas
• Raspberries
• Pine nuts

Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon / day

Take a Multivitamin - daily

Pre-menopausal women

• No more than 5000 IU of Vitamin A
• with iron

Post-menopausal women & men

• No more than 2500 IU of Vitamin A
• no iron

Know your Numbers

Waist size - measure at belly button. Your waist size should be less than 1/2 your height.

• Men - should be < 40 inches
• Women - should be < 38 inches

Blood Pressure

• ideal is 115/75

Cholesterol

• LDL < 100
• HDL > 40

Resting Heart Rate

• test before getting out of bed (test at carotid artery in neck)
• want to be as close to 60 beats / minute as you can
• Athletes have fairly low heart rate (<60)
• if > 83 - not good (exercise, injury, illness, & emotion may produce faster rates)

Blood Sugar Levels

• Test measures how well your body processes sugar (glucose)
• used to diagnose prediabetes or diabetes

Vitamin D

• 1000 IU = 15 minutes of sun
• can help prevent cancer esp colon cancer, MS, heart disease, diabetes & auto-immune disease

C-Reactive Protein (CRP)

• Protein made by liver & fat
• test measures level of an inflammatory marker - a substance that the body releases in response to inflammation
• High levels mean there is inflammation somewhere in the body - problems can include - blood clots, stroke

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)

• Defects in TSH production lead to over- or under- secretion of thyroid hormones
• Symptoms include - unexplained weight gain or loss, hair loss, fatigue, depression

Find a Health Advocate

• Someone that you can rely on to keep you on track with your health & to be there for support

Organise your Health Information

Know the Medical Tests you should have

Annual Checkup

Dentist - every 6 months

Eye Exam - every 2 years

Women - no later than age 21 get an annual

• Pap Smear
• Pelvic Exam

Men - in their 20s yearly

• Testicular Test

Women - starting at 35 - 40 annual

• Mammogram as well as monthly self examination

Men & Women - over 50

• Echocardiogram
• Stress Test
• Colonoscopy

Men & Women - every age

• Skin Test

Men & Women - in their 60s annual

• Hearing Test (most problems are treatable)

Women - in their 60s

• Bone Density Test esp Family History of bone problems, Alcohol, Smoking

Men - in their 60s

• Rectal Exam

Healthy Body Fat Percentage

• Men 18 - 25%
• Women 25 - 31%

Exercise

• 10,000 steps / day (start with 1/2 hour --> increase)
• Get heart rate up 60 mins / week
• Flexibility Exercise 5 mins / day
• Strength Exercise 30 mins / week
• Write down your commitment to exercise

Sleep

• if you don't get adequate sleep can lead to cravings esp Carbohydrates
• Keep a routine
• Keep bedroom dark & cool
• Save bedroom for sex & sleep only
• No caffeine 4 Hours before bed
• No TV in bedroom
• Take Calcium & Magnesium Supplement - eg restless leg syndrome, cramps, spasm.
• Start by changing one bad sleeping habit