Assess Your Health

Among the leading causes of death in Canada are preventable illnesses and injuries and situations that stem from our behavior, such as smoking, poor diet, minimal exercise, substance abuse and accidents.

Contrary to what you may think, genes don’t always rule when it comes to your health. Health is influenced as much by lifestyle as it is by your genetic make-up. While family history is important, your weight, activity level, stress level and health habits play a larger part in determining your future health state. When it comes to your health - you are in control and the sooner you identify your health risks and embrace healthy behaviors, the greater your chances are for enjoying a healthier lifestyle.

To enjoy the benefits of good health and reduce your risk of injury and illness, you are encouraged to adopt good habits and reduce risky behaviors. Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles to good health for most people is achieving a healthy balance between exercise and diet. By taking part in regular physical activity, you can lower your risk of illness from heart disease, stroke, obesity, and a host of other problems. If you aren’t already physically active, changing your lifestyle can be a challenge. But your efforts to increase exercise will provide a long term reward that’s as valuable as any other effort toward achieving good health.

Diet is a component of good health and is often classified under in the term of “nutrition.” Nutrition is much more than counting calories and tallying up grams of fat; eating well means enjoying great taste as well as obtaining great nutrition. Because your body is a complex machine, it needs a variety of foods to achieve a balance. That variety emphasizes vegetables, fruits and whole grains which can lead to a diet that provides a rich supply of nutrients, fiber and other materials associated with better health. A variety of foods also introduces you to several of textures and flavors that may increase your eating pleasure.

Calculating your BMI

Body mass index (BMI) uses your height and weight to calculate your percentage of body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reliable estimate of weight-related health risks. But it does have limitations. Because BMI doesn't differentiate between lean muscle and fat, it may overestimate body fat in people who have muscular builds, such as weightlifters. As a result, your BMI can be high but your disease risk still can be low. You can determine your (BMI) by finding your height and weight on the chart below; then consult the chart to assess your health risk classification according to your BMI results.

You can also calculate your BMI using this formula:

BMI= weight (kg)/height (m)²

Note: For persons 65 years and older the 'normal' range may begin slightly above BMI 18.5 and extend into the 'overweight' range.

To clarify risk for each individual, other factors such as lifestyle habits, fitness level, and presence or absence of other health risk conditions also need to be considered.