I have a BP monitor available to me, and use a Polar HR watch during exercise, and have measured my HR at rest (while watching TV) at around 49~50. Before I took up cycling again in 2008, after stopping in 2002, it hovered in the low 60s at rest. My BP at that time was in the 140s/low 90s. When I last checked it was 117/79. So I guess that between loosing about 30 lbs, exercising, and eating somewhat healthier, I am going in the right direction, at least as much as these things matter.

Being 52 and still about 20 lbs overweight (I am an apple- used to have a Goodyear truck tire around the middle, now it is more like a couple of MTB 2.1s.) Working on it but it has been hard to get those last 20 off. I don't dwell on the numbers, (the BP meter is my mother's, she bought it when she was advised she was borderline high BP), but it is interesting to see how they changed as I got myself into better shape.

Health insurance companies really don't have a much better way to quantify rates- even if we all got whole body MRIs, there would be risks and chance that fluctuate with hereditary and exposure/lifestyle factors. BP, HR and bloodwork are better than darts or guessing, but in the end it all feels like an educated guess.

I've known people who were 'the picture of health' just keel over with a brain hemorrhage. I've known people who were overweight, smoked, had high pressure jobs and lived to ripe old age. I've had relatives told they had 6 months, live 20 years. The science of health is really very interesting, as it involves so much chance.