Test 7
To check…the health of your arteries
Try... Sitting on the floor with your back pushed firmly
against a wall and your legs stretched out straight in front of you, toes
pointing towards the ceiling. Then, with your arms outstretched, slowly reach
forward towards your toes by bending over at the waist. The aim is to see how
far you can reach past your toes.
Start worrying if
You can only just reach your toes with your fingertips. And
if you can’t even reach that far, be alarmed.
Why it works
Because according to Japanese researchers, how flexible your
body is or isn’t is a good reflection of how healthy your arteries are. So the
less flexible you are, the stiffer your arteries are likely to be. And for
women, not being able to reach past your toes indicates poor flexibility.
Take action
As well as making some dietary changes to eliminate
saturated fat – a well-known contributor to atherosclerosis, or hardening of
the arteries – start stretching regularly. One explanation for the study’s
findings is that the very same stretching exercises that make you flexible also
slow age-related stiffening of the arteries.
Test 8
To check…your risk of melanoma
Try... Counting how many moles you have. Tally up how many
you’ve got on your whole body.
Start worrying if
You have got more than 100 moles across your entire body.
Your risk of
melanoma
Why it works
Because having a lot of moles is one of the things that can
increase your risk of developing melanoma, along with other risk factors like
skin type, UV exposure and whether or not you were sunburnt as a child.
Take action
Commit to having your skin checked regularly by your GP or
dermatologist. In between times, you should also check your moles several times
throughout the year – whenever a new season rolls over is a good time to do it.
Visit melanoma.org.au to learn more about self skin checks.
