Take these numbers to heart

There are important numbers that can give you an overall picture of your heart health. Keeping track of your numbers provides you with a history of your health and encourages you to continue working toward your goals.

Here are the healthy numbers you should aim for and what they mean:

BMI: Based on height-to-weight ratio, body mass index (BMI) is an overall indicator of healthy weight. BMI does not distinguish between women and men. Your BMI should be between 20 and 24.

Waist circumference: Extra waistline inches can indicate heart disease risk because abdominal fat has a harmful effect on vital organs. People with a normal BMI but a high waist circumference are encouraged to reduce abdominal fat. Women should have a waist circumference of less than 35 inches, and men should have a waist circumference of less than 40 inches.

Waist-to-hip ratio: This ratio is sometimes used instead of waist circumference. To calculate, measure the circumference of your waist at its smallest point and measure the circumference of your hips at their widest point. Divide waist measurement by hip measurement. (Example: waist circumference = 35, hip circumference = 40, 35/40 = .88). Women should have a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 0.8, and men should have a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 0.95.

Cholesterol: Your total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL. You’ll also need a breakdown cholesterol test to determine HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. HDL should be at least 40-60 mg/dL, and LDL should be less than 100.

Fasting triglycerides: Triglycerides are a bad type of fat found in food and body fat. You should have less than 150 mg/dL fasting triglycerides. The test must be a fasting test to ensure accurate results.

Blood sugar: Your blood sugar levels after at least eight hours of fasting can help pinpoint prediabetes or diabetes and should be 60-100 mg/dL. Blood sugar levels fluctuate normally throughout the day and increase after a meal.

Blood pressure: Anything consistently higher than 120/80 mm/Hg is considered hypertension.

These numbers represent normal ranges without heart disease or diabetes. Work with your physician to develop a personalized strategy for health and wellness.

Use the chart below to track your numbers. Don’t rely on your doctor to keep track for you; know your own numbers so that you can detect changes over time. Ask for the values, not just whether they are in the “normal” range.

	Current (Number / Date)	Goal (Number / Date)	30 Days (Number / Date)	60 Days (Number / Date)	90 Days (Number / Date)	120 Days (Number / Date)	150 Days (Number / Date)
BMI
Waist Circumference
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Total Cholesterol
HDL
LDL
Triglycerides
Blood Sugar
Blood Pressure

 

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