Go to your General Practitioner for a complete physical and ask to know your numbers, by obtaining blood work for:

-Blood Sugar
-Cholesterol
-Blood Pressure
-Resting heart rate
-Body Mass Index (eg Height and weight)

If you are vegetarian, its worth asking for test on your iron levels and B12s (just tell your doc you are veggie and want to check this out).

Don't exercise with an injury, always consult a qualified medical practitioner.

Whilst we have our lovely D&E moderator Nurse Dirty Plotte to assist with health issues, it is the internet and she can only do a basic diagnosis based on the information you give her, so ALWAYS follow up her advice with a visit to your GP. (though she's very good at telling you what to ask your doc for)

Make this an annual event. (eg I have started doing this around my birthday time..albeit i've had to do this year's 3 months late as Oct.Nov was too busy for me).

geekypoo, perhaps if you ever have time you could explain what the numbers for the above mean (eg what a lipid is etc)???

why?

I think that's bloody obvious why.

What if you have high blood pressure and am lifting weights over your head? What if you have high bad cholesterol levels and am eating food with too much salt, fat, etc?
What if you have an irregular heartbeat and do hard cardio workouts?

its a good idea to check these things out beforehand first.
Obviously even the most healthiest people can cark it or shit happens, but it's best to prevent problems.

recal is right, and this should be a sticky.

-Blood Sugar - if you begin an exercise or diet program and you have no clue that you have glucose issues, you could end up in a coma, or passing out, or worse, have a stroke. sugars destroy the walls of vessels, which make them ripe for clotting in those areas. clot breaks off and BAM stroke.

-Cholesterol - get an FLP which is a fasting lipid profile. this will tell you your various lipid levels (lips are fats that travel in the blood stream. HDL should be high and LDL and VLDL should be low. the doc will look at the ratio and decide if your levels are acceptable. high lipids = stroke or heart attack. lipids are sticky and get caught in narrow passageways of the vessels and if coupled with diabetes, you could be in HUGE trouble. if your FLP is very out of wack, they will want to do a stress test to make sure there is nothing errant about your heart rhythms.

-Blood Pressure - this is HUGE and a close friend of mine (x-fiance actually) was just hospitalised bc his blood pressure got so damn high that it caused a bleed in his brain (a hemorrhagic stroke rather than ischemic which is what we have been discussing concerning diabetes and high lipids) he was in ICU for days and now has to be on numerous medications. he had been avoiding going to the damned doctor and it finally caught up with him. a fucking stroke. he's in his 30's and he had a fucking stroke.

if you exercise and you have high blood pressure that isnt monitored closely this could be you. exercise raises the blood pressure.

-Resting heart rate - this is good to know and you can watch how your RHR lowers as you start working harder and harder. its also good to know just in case you have an arrhythmia (a girl on this board has talked to me about her abnormal heart rhythm. shes YOUNG. you need to know if your heart is beating ok. a stressed heart in an abnormal rhythm is death.

-Body Mass Index (eg Height and weight) - always good to know. can be a huge motivator.

If you are vegetarian, its worth asking for test on your iron levels and B12s (just tell your doc you are veggie and want to check this out). you want to know how well your body is capable of oxygen transport. if its missing iron, you could have serious issues with exercise. and if youre missing B12 in your diet long enough (vegans this means YOU) you can develop encephalopathy. this means that you cant think right, and your body cant move right. you will start walking into walls. i've seen this with TWO friends. its not uncommon, especially if you combine alcohol with veganism.

Don't exercise with an injury, always consult a qualified medical practitioner. you can permanently damage your body if you overexert. i've actually had difficulties with ITBS, plantar fasciitis and shin splints from over exerting and not seeing an orthopedist about my obvious leg discrepancy issue. im calling one this week. i dont run anymore because of it.

Whilst we have our lovely D&E moderator Nurse Dirty Plotte to assist with health issues, it is the internet and she can only do a basic diagnosis based on the information you give her, so ALWAYS follow up her advice with a visit to your GP. (though she's very good at telling you what to ask your doc for) seeing a doctor if you have an issue important enough to talk to me about is vital. that cant be stressed enough. i'm an advocate for patients, not a physician

__________________
When I awoke, the Dire Wolf
Six hundred pounds of sin
Was grinning at my window
All I said was "Come on in".
Grateful Dead

tl:dl