Start With a Physical

If you haven't had a routine physical exam in the past year, consider getting one (especially if you've just starting an exercise program). It makes far more sense to get a checkup and have a medical doctor tell you that everything is fine than to find out the hard way that it isn't. A complete physical exam should include the following: height and weight measurements, body fat percentage and blood work to check for complete blood count (CBC) with differential, blood lipids, complete metabolic panel (CMP), homocysteine, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), lipoprotein (a) (LP(a)), and a maximal stress test with EKG on a treadmill. Each of these tests is necessary because they are health markers for immune function, kidney function, and cardiovascular disease risk.

Discuss these suggested tests with your doctor and see whether there are any additional markers that may be more appropriate. For example, some doctors order glycosylated hemoglobin (HgbA1c) levels for diabetics to monitor their long-term glucose control. Your doctor may want to check certain additional markers, depending on your family history.

If your doctor will not prescribe these tests for your preventative health, then you might want to consider a more progressive doctor who will respond to your needs. If your insurance company will not pay for preventative medicine (and many will not), then consider paying for it on your own. You can also volunteer with the exercise physiology and cardiac rehab departments at universities and medical schools to be a research subject so that you can possibly get the testing done for free, depending on the research going on.

Most people evaluate the success of a program by how they feel or by how they look in the mirror. Consider, however, that most people do not succeed in this sense. This dilemma indicates that maybe our notions about how we feel and how we look are too vague-- They don't give us the detailed information we need to evaluate and improve our health and fitness levels. These details aren't hard to get, and before you begin a new program, you must know your actual starting point. How do you know whether you've gotten someplace if you don't know where you started? Some measurements are easy to do on your own, whereas other measurements should be done by a competent healthcare professional. If your medical doctor determines you are healthy and can begin a diet and exercise program, then purchase a body-weight scale, a tension-controlled tape measure, a food scale, and an oral thermometer. If you have diabetes or cardiovascular disease, or if you need to lose more than 30 pounds, also purchase a blood glucose monitor, blood pressure monitor with heart rate, and a blood cholesterol tester.