Blood Screening

As part of the Daniel Plan starting point, it was suggested that we get some of our baseline numbers to know how much of an impact this diet has had on our health.  Jamie and I drove down to Fairmont General Hospital to take advantage of their general blood screening and lipid screening tests.  The plan also suggested getting a starting point number for height (not anticipating a change) weight, blood pressure, and waist size.

We both have some great numbers to start with.  Our fasting glucose is in the eighties, and our cholesterol is rocking too.  My total cholesterol is 156, but I need to make some advances in HDL mine is only 39 (Jamie’s is 62!!!).

We both are feeling good about the baseline numbers we have, but we are curious to see what a year of healthy eating will do.  When I started the Daniel Plan, I weighed in at 197, and my waste size was 39 inches (taking the measurement an inch over the navel).  My blood pressure was 120/80, and I’ve been rocking out 6’2” for several years now.

The funny thing about getting bloodwork done was that there weren’t many young people doing it.  Most of us wait until we start having health issues, or questions about some of our numbers before we get our blood tested, but it’s a good idea to get work done to know your numbers in advance.  I had work done three years ago because my mom had breast cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and I thought that if I could discover early warning signs and work proactively to prevent similar problems, then I wanted to do it.  In 2008, my cholesterol was 175, so over the last three years, I’ve made some significant improvements.

When was the last time you had your blood checked?  I know it’s not super exciting to wake up early to go to a community blood screening and get stabbed with a needle, but it’s worthwhile to know how your health is looking.  I know I was dreading the numbers when I went to get tested, but I knew that if my numbers were not great, I was in a solid place to begin some lifestyle changes.  Will you do yourself a favor, and check your numbers if you don’t typically do so? Maybe you will see some early warning signs that could prevent problems later.