That is a common question these days. It's in the popular magazines, on the internet, on TV and even on radio. What does it mean? Who is defining healthy when they ask? If you go to the Peotone Illinois hospital and take their test for health it may be quite different than what you are reading in a magazine or seeing on TV. Some definitions are based on heart rate and blood pressure along with cholesterol and other blood work. They may do a few specific tests based on whether you are male or female to check a couple more health concerns. They may even measure your BMI or body mass index. They probably won't ask you to do push-ups or sit-ups or even get your heart rate up unless you are getting a complete physical for cardio health.

If you are reading a health magazine they want to know your body fat not your BMI. They want to know how fast you can run a mile and how many different exercises you can do. They may ask about cholesterol and blood pressure also. It is possible to get a truly complete physical if you want to pay the price and find the right doctor or you can join the service and they will give you a fairly good one. Do you know of any Illinois hospital that will put you through the rigors of a complete test? Do you need one? Health is something that everyone has their own definition of. People are too skinny, too fat, just right but not happy or working toward being healthy. There really are few who would say they are truly healthy in their own eyes. To a runner healthy is far different than someone who sits in front of the TV every night and thinks that walking to the mailbox is exercise. Neither one of them is right. The runner could be very unhealthy on the inside even though they are running two to three miles a day. The opposite can also be somewhat true. The person sitting in front of the tube may actually be healthy on the inside compared to the runner. It's very confusing and even places like Bourbonnais healthcare would be hard pressed to give you a definitive definition for your health based on what you want it to be.

One doctor once said that doctors are also in sales. They are selling their services and that is how they make a living. This is not to say that a doctor will purposely sell you something you don't need but it is something to keep in the back of your mind when getting opinions of your state of health. The fact of the matter is that you own your health just like you own your money. You don't let the banker or CPA tell you what to do with your money. They may give you opinions regarding what you might do but you don't let them tell you what to do. The same goes for doctors. They have opinions and they may even have your statistics that can help guide you down a certain path but it really is up to you. You may be on the brink of death and the doctor can tell you what you may do to not die but in the end you are the one who has to do it.