Love Yourself…Biometric Screenings Can Be Good for the Heart

Part of loving yourself is respecting yourself enough to maintain your health. Sticking with the theme of love for the month, maintaining your overall health also means focusing on heart health. Many heart illnesses can be monitored as they progress, and hopefully changed with positive lifestyle choices.

One way to monitor your heart health (and promote the heart health of your employees!) is to take part in biometric screenings. These screening events are a basic health assessment that can be done right there in your office.

Essentially, companies like us bring in health professionals, supplies and tracking equipment. You and your employees show up to the event, speak with our professionals and take part in a variety of health assessments. The results are shared with and explained to your employees, and there is plenty of time to ask questions and work with a health advisor to find what healthy habits they have and how they can expand on those. The event is secure and private for your employees, and can be customized to the needs of your company.

At our events, there are a number of tests that can be done to specifically show you and your employees just how healthy your hearts are.

• Cholesterol: Testing your cholesterol is done with a blood sample from either a finger stick or venipuncture test. Too much cholesterol can indicate an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Blood Pressure: High blood pressure, or hypertension, can also indicate your risk for heart disease and stroke, as well as number of other conditions. We measure blood pressure with a cuff like in your doctor’s office.
• BMI: A measure of body fat based on height and weight. Obesity can lead to a number of complications later in life, including heart problems.
• Waist Circumference: This is another test to ensure a healthy weight, which is important for a long, vigorous life. Also, carrying a lot of extra weight around your midsection can be indicative of some serious health risks.
• Fitness Testing: These simple, active tests are always a hit at biometric screenings. Participants do step and strength testing, all the while monitoring their heart rate and recovery time. This is an indication of how strong you and your heart are, and the level of endurance you’ve built up.

These tests, like any other in a health screening event are great to be used as a progress report. It’s important to take these results, work with the health professionals to understand them and develop a plan for yourself. Your plan can include maintaining healthy levels or improving your levels, depending on you, your lifestyle and your goals.

As an employer, one way to build off of these results is to promote healthy habits throughout the office via your workplace wellness program. This heart health promotion starts by providing screening options to your employees. Once they have an idea of where they’re at, focus on behaviors that can improve heart health.

The American Heart Association lists some great ideas to work healthy dietary choices into your everyday life. Their website even lists some basic nutrition information, and a quiz to see if you really know your stuff!

Another general way to incorporate heart health into your life is to develop a habit of physical activity. Before you get super nervous about finding a high intensity workout class…don’t! Exercising for heart health doesn’t have to include training like a professional athlete. Moderate exercise can be as simple as chasing your kids around the yard, walking the dog, shoveling snow or even doing an ab workout while watching TV. Find a workout that is suited to you, your interests, your needs and your schedule.

As long as you’re getting your heart rate up, your workout is having some benefit. It’s important to remember your heart is a muscle, so essentially it needs the same kind of exercise as the rest of your muscles to stay in shape. This means when you do cardio work and your heart beats faster, it’s getting a great workout. The more of that you do, the better shape your heart will be in, and you’ll be able to handle more intense workouts.

There is no better time than Valentine’s to talk about heart health, but we can’t forget about it throughout the rest of the year. Try to incorporate a culture of heart health into your workplace wellness program. Start with biometric screenings to get a baseline health status, and then work in simple healthy behaviors until heart health is just second nature.

What are you doing to keep your heart healthy?