Today was a great reminder that thin does not necessarily equal healthy.
After a tough personal training session this morning, I went to Luis’s company’s annual biometric screening — which we’ve done for the past six years. It’s a comprehensive, incentive-based wellness program and I think it’s great. Of course, I also love my own company’s … but that screening isn’t until February. Anyway … though I feel I could afford to lose 10-15 lbs and still be fine, no one told me that and the verdict is I’m in really awesome shape on the inside: blood pressure, cholesterol (LDL, HDL and the ratio — all optimal), blood sugar …. Huzzah!
And while my BMI was 26.5 (lumping me in the “overweight” category), I’m leery about using that as a really crucial assessment of health. In fact, even the wellness specialist said they pretty much dismiss it now and look at the bigger picture –as well as percentage of body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, etc. –to assess overall health. Yet it’s still a marker on the form they fill out, but whatevs .
On a positive note, my body fat was surprisingly decent in spite of my weight … 27.9% On average for women, the percentage is between 25-31% … so I’m actually at the lower end there. Hoping to get to 25% within a couple months, but we’ll see.
I share this today because all too often we’re focused on thinness as an indicator of health … and it’s simply not always the case, especially with respect to risk factors. It’s far more important to look at the big picture … and knowing how healthy we are on the inside is just as important (if not more!) as what we see on the outside.
How about you? Does you participate in an annual corporate wellness screening?
Let There Be Light 
I have in the past, but my similar victory came last summer. At 24 weeks pregnant, I made the grown-up decision to apply for a real life insurance policy, to give my husband and son a safety net should they need it. Even though I’d put on about 20 pregnancy pounds, I was still in good enough health to qualify for the lowest available rate—lower than what our agent initially quoted. This means more to me than any pants size I’ve ever fit into.
That is AWESOME, Laura!! Way to go!! Can’t deny the power of life insurance … and with this step, you’re assuring for your son and husband you’ll be around for as long as you can — that means a ton!