Another Way to Evaluate Your Health

Written by Robyn Holder Robyn Holder

Published: 09 November 2015 09 November 2015

It’s hard not to live and die(t) by the scale.  As a professional, I know better, but will admit to falling into the trap of living by the numbers on the scale.  However, I’ve learned just how defeating those numbers can be when used as the sole basis for my state of health.  

Numbers, when used solely to evaluate any health condition, can be misleading, and can lead to incorrect diagnoses by health professionals.  Dr. Pam Popper, in her book, Food Over Medicine, tells us evaluating health only by numbers can lead to over-diagnosing, over-medicating, and under-discovering why those numbers are what they are.  And this is never good.

Back to the scale…We fall into thinking numbers rule.  Madisyn Taylor, in a recent blog article, “Redefining Health – Throw Away Your Scale,” purports that we humans need to use numbers to quantify our state of health.  She says we turn away from health and use these numbers to see how we stack up against our peers and silly role models.  Taylor indicates while these numbers, especially our weight, can be “nominally informative,” they can prevent us from reaching healthy eating goals.  This is really on the mark.  The government generated Body Mass Index(BMI) is a case in point.  It uses only numbers to determine health, not allowing for muscle mass or body size.  Did you know using only the BMI would make Brad Pitt and George Clooney obese?  What?!

You can begin to learn to evaluate your own state of health by determining how you feel.  Ask yourself some questions.  Are your clothes fitting better?  Do you have more energy?  Are you sleeping better?  Do you seem to have a better outlook on things?  You’ll know you’ve achieved better health when you feel good, feel you look good, and like what you are doing to help your body and your self achieve optimal health!  

To Your Vitality!