Smart Health

As we smart our grids, buildings, homes, cars, roads, and appliances, it occurred to me to remind myself and you all of how easy it is to keep up with our health by tracking a few key performance indicators (KPIs) in our bodies. Some smart health won't hurt and will go a long ways.

Wouldn't it be great if we could get simple measurement of our vitals every day or as often as needed to learn to manage our health better. Here are some key health KPIs to track:

Blood Pressure
Optimal: 120 over 80 mmHg or lower
Borderline: From 120 over 80 to 140 over 90 mm Hg
High: Above 140 over 90 mm Hg

Bad Cholesterol (Low-density lipoprotein or LDL)
Optimal: Below 100 mg / dL
Normal: From 100 to 129 mg / dL
Borderline: From 129 to 159 mg / dL
High: 160 to 190 mg / dL
Very High: Over 190 mg / dL

Blood Sugar
Normal: Under 100 mg / dL
Prediabetes: From 100 to 125 mg / dL
Diabetes: Above 125 mg / dL

Body Mass Index
Obese: 30 kg / m2
Overweight: 25 to 30 kg / m2
Normal: 18.5 to 25 kg /m2

Lean : Below 18.5 kg / m2

Waist Circumference
Men: Risky if equal to or above 40 inches
Women: Risky if equal or above 35 inches

Osteoporosis (Bone mineral density, t-score)
Normal: 0 to 1
Low: -1 to -2.5
Osteoporosis: Below -2.5

I know that there are many gadgets out there to help with the task.

But don't just read my post, go see your doctor and stay healthy. Get some exams done. Start waking 5 miles per day, or start training to run a 5k or 10k, or start training to run a marathon. Whatever your level and fancy, get more active. We need to keep at it for another 50 years at least. So get healthy and recommit yourself to your own well being.