Blood cholesterol is one marker of metabolic fitness, or the fitness of your blood. You might try asking your parents for their blood cholesterol results from their past medical check-up. Using the following table, you can interpret blood cholesterol levels to determine metabolic fitness based on a blood cholesterol test. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dl) of blood.
Cholesterol Classifications (mg/dl)
| | Total cholesterol | LDL-C | HDL-C | TC/HDL-C |
| Optimal |
— |
<100 |
— |
3.5 or lower |
| Near optimal |
— |
100-129 |
— |
— |
| Desirable |
<200 |
— |
>60 |
— |
| Borderline |
200-240 |
130-160 |
39-59 |
3.6-5.0 |
| High risk |
>240 |
>160 |
<39 |
5.0+ |
Can you see how there are several ways to analyze blood cholesterol levels? You can look at the total cholesterol level. However, if someone has a high level of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), this will increase her total cholesterol. Therefore, you can look at the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (TC/HDL-C). A low level of the "bad" (LDL) cholesterol is something everyone should strive for. Regular physical activity and a healthy diet will help lower LDL cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol, and reduce the TC/HDL-C ratio, all positive outcomes for metabolic fitness.
