How do you know if you are healthy or not?

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To live longer and healthier, you need to recognize the important points. We have selected nine of them and explain how to check them frequently (daily, monthly or annually).

1. Sleep hours (DAILY)
WHAT IT IS: simply the time between putting out the fires and waking up.

WHY IT’S ESSENTIAL: Many trackers give you information about how much time you spend in bed, such as how often you wake up per night or how often you sleep in REM. However, this information tends to be imprecise and unnecessarily specific. All you have to do is look at your alarm clock (To increase your REM sleep time, all you have to do is sleep more.) According to a study published in Lancet Psychiatry, appropriate schedules can help you fight anxiety and depression and stay healthy.

CORRECT SLEEP TIME: seven to nine hours per night.

2. The resting heart rate (DAILY)
WHAT IT MEASURES: the number of beats per minute.

WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL: it reflects your health and the efficiency of your circulatory system. “A lower number of beats per minute indicates that your heart is pumping more blood per beat and therefore needs less beats per minute to circulate blood and oxygen,” says Myles Spar, doctor and advisor for the NBA. A study published in the British Medical Journal showed that a resting heart rate of 90 to 100 beats per minute tripled the risk of death compared to a slower heart rate. Use a tracker, or do as in the old school, and count your pulsations on your wrist for 15 seconds and then multiply the result by four.

CORRECT RATE: 60 beats per minute (or about 50 for athletes).

3. Variability of heart rate (DAILY)
WHAT IT MEASURES: the variation in time between heartbeats.

WHY IT’S ESSENTIAL: it’s a good way to measure stress. Individuals who are relaxed and fit have high heart rate variability while those who are stressed or depressed have low heart rate variability. (Meditation and yoga can help.) This is information provided by some heart rate monitors and trackers.

CORRECT MEASURE: it’s personal. “It is best not to compare your heart rate variability with other individuals,” Spar advises. Instead, follow yours daily to find out what makes it different. A top athlete must be around 60 milliseconds. If you’re above 50, that’s fine.

4. Maximum oxygen consumption (MONTHLY)
WHAT IT MEASURES: the maximum amount of oxygen consumed during an effort

WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL: use it to test your aerobic and cardiovascular fitness. “The more you train, the better you use oxygen to work your muscles to the maximum,” says Spar. A higher result means that you can increase the effort and work for a longer period of time. Nevertheless, it is not only a tool for athletes and everyone can measure it to check their good health. Indeed, poor maximum oxygen consumption can be linked to diabetes, depression and even the risk of premature death. Check it in a laboratory or wear a device when you train.

CORRECT MEASURE: 50 to 60 millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute of consumption (mL/kg/min).

5. Waist circumference (MONTHLY)
WHAT IT MEASURES: it is an estimate of internal fat.

WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL: bulges are not only unflattering, they are also dangerous. Having a too large waist circumference means that you probably have eviscerated fat, the one found around the internal organs. Visceral fat produces chemicals called cytokines that inhibit cell sensitivity, which has an impact on cholesterol, insulin resistance and blood clot formation. Cytokines also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. To measure your waist size properly, wrap a meter just above your hips and exhale.

CORRECT MEASURE: a waist circumference less than half your waist. If you are 1.80 metres tall, your waist circumference should be a maximum of 90cm.

6. Percentage of body fat (MONTHLY)
WHAT IT MEASURES: the amount of fat in your body.

WHY IT IS ESSENTIAL: it is a more reliable indication than the body mass index. The concern of BMI is that it does not differentiate between fat and muscle. For example, if you are rather big, your result will remain the same.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator