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Gordon Ehlers MD and Jeffrey Miller

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Facing Your Fifties
Every Man's Reference Guide To Mid-Life Health
By Gordon Ehlers, M.D., and Jeff Miller

M. Evans and Company, Inc.

Copyright © 2002 Gordon Ehlers, M.D., and Jeff Miller.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 0-87131-954-3

Chapter One

WHERE DO
YOU STAND
NOW?

A Comprehensive
Status Report

Background Basics

    Who are you?

· A corporate executive who practically lives on the road.

· A regular guy who's trying to be health conscious but isn't getting very far.

· An avid jogger who's in better shape now than when he was thirty.

· A guy whose job keeps him on his feet all day, so he doesn't see the need for "extra" exercise.

· A former jock who hasn't worked out in twenty years.

· An ex-husband who's not very good about meal planning and taking care of himself.

· A nutrition-conscious guy who's always munching on a granola bar.

    As long as you're a male and you're in your fifties (or nearly there), it doesn't matter. What does matter is that you picked up this book. And that you've read this far. That's the first sign that you want to know more about your health and how to maintain and/or improve it.

    But where do you start?

    The first step is to determine where on the general health ladder you stand right now?what rung you're on compared to the "average" or "ideal" fifties Joe. That will be a critical point of reference from which you can put the rest of this book into personal context. And we know that's important, because if you can't apply this book to your own situation, then it's not worth very much. Besides, it's always an interesting exercise to see where you stand against everyone else?even if the results might not be what you expect.

    Don't worry, though, you don't have to jump through any hoops, do any push-ups, or answer any questions that involve speeding trains and velocity vectors (although one does involve math, so get out your pocket calculator). The following are the critical benchmarks by which doctors determine where you are when it comes to overall health. They'll tell you everything from your artery health to your body fat ratio.

    So, with no further ado, pencils ready? Begin. And good luck!

Weight To Height

Level of Importance: High, because those who are overweight risk everything from heart disease to prematurely deteriorated joints.

Ideal weight ranges for men:

Additional Information: Your weight really should not change with age, although lack of exercise, change in eating habits, and reduction in muscle mass will all conspire to put on pounds as you put on years. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat. So if you weigh the same at 55 as you did at 25, you should be proud?who wouldn't??but you should also be aware that muscle mass generally decreases with age. All of which means that your total weight should actually decrease as you get older (unless you're pumping iron). If your weight hasn't decreased over the years, if it's stayed the same, then you're probably putting on fat. (See chapter 8 for diet and exercise details.)

Body Mass Index

Level of Importance: High. It is a good general indicator of fat to body weight ratio. Too much fat can be the underlying cause of numerous health risks and serious ailments.

How to calculate BMI: Divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared, then multiple the result by 705. An example?a man who's 5'10" (70 inches) and weighs 175 pounds would calculate: 175 divided by 4,900 (70 x 70) = .0357142 times 705 = 25.18. That BMI means the man is slightly overweight.

Additional Information: Be honest about your true height and weight?the result means nothing if those figures are inaccurate. In body mass indexing, no allowance is given for age. Calculate various weights above and below your own to see how the BMI changes, then set a goal BMI and start working toward it. (See chapter 8 for diet and exercise details.) If you have a good BMI, don't get too cocky?this index is only an indicator of fat to body weight ratio; it's not a yardstick for overall physical conditioning. For very muscular individuals, the BMI may read falsely high.

Blood Pressure

Level of Importance: Highest. This is the primary indicator of how healthy your blood vessels are. In many ways, you're only as healthy as your arteries are.

Additional Information: In theory, for those who stay fit and healthy, blood pressure should not change significantly (more than a few points) during a lifetime. However, it has been shown that numerous factors do affect blood pressure, everything from age to stress levels. It's critical to good health for those who do have high blood pressure to bring it down. This can be accomplished through the use of excellent drugs and, to a lesser degree, by exercise, proper diet, and learning how to handle stress and tension. (See chapter 3 for blood pressure and blood vessel details, chapter 6 for stress relief ideas, and chapter 8 for diet and exercise details.)

Cholesterol Levels

Level of Importance: Highest. Research has established that those with a high level of cholesterol in their blood have a greater risk of heart disease (the number one killer of adults in the world) than those with a low cholesterol level.

Additional Information: These latest figures represent new?and tougher?official government guidelines. The only way to get an accurate count of HDL and LDL is to fast for twelve hours before the test. Even...