know your numbers 2013

It’s “Know Your Numbers” time again at Microsoft, and I was eager to find out how my numbers compared to last year, especially because I haven’t been quite as good as I normally am over the past six months.

  • I’ve been travelling a lot, so I end up eating things I normally wouldn’t for a variety of reasons (harder to find healthy options, want to try new foods special to that region, etc.)
  • I haven’t been as good about prepping at home, particularly because of a lot of weekend travelling
  • I haven’t been exercising as much because I hurt my foot :-/

Still, I try when possible to choose healthier options, which to me means eating more vegetables, fruits, and whole foods, and less animal-based protein and processed foods. And I’m still eating comically large salads at work.

Overall, even the changes are slight, you’ll see most of my numbers still improved even though I was far from perfect! And I think this is the important point: you don’t have to be perfect to improve your health significantly.

Cholesterol, Glucose, and Blood Pressure

Metric Nov2011 Nov2012 Nov2013 Very Good Good Bad
Total Cholesterol 185 154 146 < 200 200 – 240 > 240
LDL (Bad) 124 86 76 < 100 100 – 130 > 130
HDL (Good) 46 51 53 > 60 40 – 60 < 40
Total / HDL Ratio 4.0 3.0 2.75 < 3.5:1 < 5:1 > 5:1
Triglycerides 73 88 86 < 150 150 – 200 > 200
Blood Glucose 91 76 72 < 100 100 – 125 > 125
BP – Diastolic 76 68 74 < 80 80 – 90 > 90
BP – Systolic 116 111 125 < 120 120 – 140 > 140

Body Composition

Metric Nov2011 Nov2012 Nov2013 Too Low Good Border High
BMI* 27.5 24.3 24.5 < 18.5 18.5 – 25 25 – 30 > 30
Body Fat 18% 12% 13% < 10 10 – 20 20 – 25 > 25
Waist (in) 34 32 30 n/a < 40 n/a > 40
Weight 180 160 161 n/a n/a n/a n/a
* Body Mass Index

know your numbers 2012

Every fall, Microsoft has a program called “Know Your Numbers” where employees get free on-site health screenings. I’m sharing my numbers compared to one year ago as evidence of improved health. One important point: other factors such as exercise and stress remained unchanged during this time.

The targets for each metric are shown to the right of my actual numbers in the tables below. They are from my health screening pamphlet and may change slightly depending on source.

Cholesterol, Glucose, and Blood Pressure

Metric Nov2011 Nov2012 Very Good Good Bad
Total Cholesterol 185 154 < 200 200 – 240 > 240
LDL (Bad Cholesterol) 124 86 < 100 100 – 130 > 130
HDL (Good Cholesterol) 46 51 > 60 40 – 60 < 40
Total / HDL Ratio 4.0 3.0 < 3.5:1 < 5:1 > 5:1
Triglycerides 73 88 < 150 150 – 200 > 200
Blood Glucose 91 76 < 100 100 – 125 > 125
Blood Pressure – Diastolic 76 68 < 80 80 – 90 > 90
Blood Pressure – Systolic 116 111 < 120 120 – 140 > 140

Body Composition

Metric Nov2011 Nov2012 Too Low Good Border High
Body Mass Index (BMI) 27.5 24.3 < 18.5 18.5 – 25 25 – 30 > 30
Body Fat 18% 12% < 10 10 – 20 20 – 25 > 25
Waist Circumference (in) 34 32 n/a < 40 n/a > 40
Weight 180 160 n/a n/a n/a n/a

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