What is an HRA?
As you may know, February is Heart Month. We want everyone to know their numbers, especially around their heart health. Do you have any of the risk factors for heart disease? 7 out of the 10 risks are preventable. Get a free Health Risk Assessment (HRA) in February to find out some of the risks and also get a $25 fitness credit towards any NEW Pinnacle Medical Wellness fitness membership.
So what is an HRA?
We believe in a proactive approach to preventing injury while living a healthy lifestyle. We provide a health risk assessment (HRA) to determine the underlying cause of your condition, not just the symptoms and create a plan of care to improve your overall health. Reviewing your health history, biometrics, and cardiovascular health helps us understand the “big picture” of your health. The following biometrics are including in the health risk assessment.
BMI
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. A high BMI can be an indicator of high body fatness. BMI can be used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems but it is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of an individual. There are several online BMI calculators, we prefer the CDC calculator since there are separate calculators for adults and children.
| Adult BMI Categories: | Children/Teen BMI Categories: |
| Underweight = <18.5 | Underweight = <5th percentile |
| Normal weight = 18.5–24.9 | Normal weight = 5th percentile to 85th percentile |
| Overweight = 25–29.9 | Overweight = 85th to 95th percentile |
| Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater | Obesity = 95th percentile or greater |
Waist to Hip Ratio
Waist to Hip Ratio is a quick, but accurate way to estimate what your health risk is. It works hand in hand with where your body prefers to store fat, which is also referred to as your body type (Pear/Avocado/Apple). This is important because where you store your fat has an impact on your health and on how easily you can lose the fat. In fact, a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that for some age groups, the waist-to-hip ratio is a better indicator of increased mortality risk than body mass index (BMI), which compares your height to your weight.
| Females | Estimated Health Risk | Estimated Body Shape |
| 0.80 or below | Low | Pear |
| 0.81 to 0.85 | Moderate | Avocado |
| 0.85 + | High | Apple |
| Males | Estimated Health Risk | Estimated Body Shape |
| 0.95 or below | Low | Pear |
| 0.96 to 1.0 | Moderate | Avocado |
| 1.0 + | High | Apple |
Blood Pressure
The systolic number is the top number, and it is the higher of the two numbers. When your heart beats, it pushes blood into the arteries. This pressure pushes against the walls of your arteries. The systolic pressure is the maximum pressure exerted when the heart contracts. Your blood pressure also fluctuates throughout the day, and a lot of things can cause these changes. Blood pressure that is consistently high is known as the “Silent Killer” due to its link to cardiovascular issues such as heart attack and stroke. If you are concerned about your blood pressure, please contact your physician.
The diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number, and is the lower of the two numbers. It measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats, when the heart is relaxing and refilling with blood. Unlike systolic blood pressure, healthy diastolic blood pressure does not rise greatly with increased physical exertion.
Body Fat Percentage
Your body fat percentage is an estimate of the amount of fat, as compared to Lean Body Mass (everything that isn’t fat - bones, organs, blood and muscles), that is stored within your body. Having too high or too low of a body fat percentage can have dramatic consequences on your overall health.
Your percent body fat was calculated by bioelectric impedance. The ideal percentage of body fat varies by gender and age, and can also be impacted slightly by your level of hydration. The safest and most effective ways to permanently change body composition is through regular exercise and a healthful diet. As a patient at Pinnacle, you have access to a complementary nutrition consultation with our nutritionist.
Resting Heart Rate
Your resting heart rate is one indicator for how healthy your heart is. It isn’t the only indicator, but it is a good one. When your heart is strong and healthy it is able to squeeze harder when it pumps. This means that more blood gets to the muscles, organs and tissues faster. It also means that the body doesn’t have to work so hard to get the used blood back to the heart and lungs. This in turn means that more work can be done for the same amount of effort.
Oxygen Saturation
This is an estimate of your cardiovascular fitness level based on self-reported data. Your VO2max is a way to determine what your cardiovascular fitness level is, which is an assessment of how efficient your heart and lungs are. When your heart and lungs are healthy and strong, they can work together to get oxygen to the muscles quickly. When they are not healthy and strong, oxygen does not get to the muscles quickly. Without a constant supply of oxygen, the muscles fatigue and cannot continue to work. Having a good cardiovascular fitness level increases your ability to exercise and perform activity for longer periods of time.
Receive $25 fitness credit for any new Pinnacle fitness membership after completing the Health Assessment between Feb 1-29, 2016. One time credit per new fitness member.
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Contact one of our fitness centers to schedule your 30 minute Health Risk Assessment.