Measurements of the body's most basic functions. Height
Height is usually measured while the person is standing up with their shoes off. It is used to determine if children are growing at a normal rate for their age and to determine if older people are shrinking which could be a sign that they may be developing bone loss, which is often linked to osteoporosis
Weight
Weight is normally measured in pounds or kilos and it is a simple measurement that will tell you your total body weight. This measurement is not however helpful in determining your fitness levels because a person who is obese is not necessarily unfit just the same as a skinny person may not be healthy and may be very unfit. Weight and height when calculated together are used to determine a person's Body Mass Index (BMI) this provides a good estimate of risk to health that may be caused due to being overweight. Conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes can come from excessive weight gain and can also cause breathing problems and put unnecessary stress on the heart.
Heart Rate
Resting heart rate is the number of times a person's heart beats per minute while not doing any physically demanding activity i.e. when they are sat down doing nothing. The best time to check your resting heart rate is first thing in the morning, preferably after a good night's sleep, as this will give you the best possible reading. For most people, the heart beats between 60 to 80 times a minute on average. Heart rate tends to increase with age. It also tends to be lower in physically fit people, because exercise makes the heart stronger so it can pump more blood through the body with each beat however a low heart rate can also indicate that a person maybe suffering from shock, for some people, a slow heart rate does not cause any problems. Healthy young adults and s often have heart rates of less than 60 beats a minute.
In other people a low heart rate is a sign of a problem with the heart’s electrical system and ability to pump blood through the body at a normal rate. It means that the heart’s biological pacemaker is not working right. In severe cases the heart beats so slow that it cannot pump enough blood to sustain the body. This can cause life threatening problems such as heart failure heart attacks as the heart beats so slow that a signal is sent to beat faster and if the electrical pathways are not working properly then the signal can be received wrong and cause the heart to beat so fast that it starts pumping air instead of blood.
Men and women age 65 and older are more prone to a slow heart rate that may end up needing treatment because as a person gets older, the electrical system of the heart does not always perform the way it should which can cause complications in later life
Normal resting heart rate = 70 to 100 bpm
Physically fit resting heart rate = 50 to 65 bpm
Blood Pressure
Blood moves through the body in small surges each time the heart beats. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls as it circulates through the body.
The heart is basically a pump, and when it beats, it pushes blood in to the arteries. This pumping action results in the highest pressure on the walls of the artery. This is the systolic pressure, and it is shown as the top number on a blood pressure monitor. Between heart beats, the pressure on the walls of the artery drops lowest point. This is the diastolic blood pressure, and it is shown as the bottom number on a blood pressure monitor.
High blood pressure readings often warn of increased cardiovascular disease risk. However a person with low blood pressure can be at risk also but in some cases people have a naturally low blood pressure or a naturally high blood pressure yet they have nothing to worry about because if it is natural then it causes no problem to daily
