THE BIG
Underweight less than 18.5
Your healthy target weight
18.5 – 24.9
Overweight 25 – 29.9
Obese 30 or greater
Diabetes
Your body breaks down food into glucose, which gets
absorbed for energy. When this process struggles to take
place, glucose builds up in the blood. This extra sugar
in your bloodstream is a sign of diabetes and can harm
every organ in your body, and also damage nerves and
blood vessels.
Know your numbers
Your healthy target = Up to 5.6 mmol/L
Levels of 5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L point to prediabetes
Anything above 7 mmol/L falls into the diabetic range
Your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight and blood sugar
numbers are crucial indicators of your overall health
and unlike family history, ethnicity and gender – which
cannot be changed – these factors can be altered by the
choices you make every day. Check the healthy ranges
below to see if you’re on track with your current healthy
lifestyle habits.
Cholesterol
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against
the walls of your arteries. If it is too high, it puts extra
strain on your arteries (and your heart) and if it’s not
treated, hypertension can cause kidney failure, eye
problems, heart disease, a heart attack and stroke.
Range
Cholesterol is a soft, fatty substance in the blood which
helps your body make important vitamins, hormones and
bile for digestion. But too much cholesterol can lead to
a build-up inside your blood vessels. These blockages can
limit blood flow and cause a heart attack or, if located in
the brain, a stroke. Healthy target 120/80 to 129/84
Your healthy target: Now that you know what your numbers should be, why
not get them checked by having a wellness test done.
If you know your numbers you can manage your health
better and reduce the costs of your healthcare.
Total cholesterol – Lower than 5 mmol/L
LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol – Lower than 3 mmol/L
HDL ‘good’ cholesterol – Greater than 1.2 mmol/L
Upper end of normal 130/85 to 139/89
Mild hypertension 140/90 to 159/99
Moderate hypertension 160/100 to 179/109
Severe hypertension More than 180/110
Triglycerides – Should be under 1.7 mmol/L
Weight and BMI
Your Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation can help you
determine if you are overweight or obese. Excess
body fat increases your risk for a wide range of health
problems.
Calculate yours by:
•
•
Dividing your weight in kilograms (kg) by your
height in metres (m)
Then dividing the answer by your height again to
get your BMI.
Bonitas offers all members an annual wellness
screening which includes the big four tests.
The screening is paid for from risk, so it won’t
impact a your savings or day-to-day benefits. We
strongly urge our members to make use of the
benefit and take control of their health.
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