Cholesterol! Cholesterol! Cholesterol!

I recently had a friend contact me asking what she should do to lower her cholesterol. She had a doctor’s visit and was told she has high cholesterol. Knock on wood, there isn’t a huge presence of it in my family, which after researching I am wondering how that is even possible! I know my mother was borderline high once but she has since gotten it under control so I never thought twice about it. However, my friend is important to me and I could not sit by and not help! So into the weeds I went to figure out this high cholesterol stuff and what can help her, and others, to lower their levels.

What you first need to know is what cholesterol is… I will be honest; I had no clue! Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in the fats in your blood. Your body needs it to build healthy cells but when you have high cholesterol then you are at risk for heart disease. Also, when you have high cholesterol you increase your risk of a heart attack due to fatty deposits developing in your blood vessels and limiting the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart.

High cholesterol can be inherited but it’s typically the result of unhealthy lifestyle choices. The bad news on that end is that means you won’t be able to enjoy your “normal” everyday choices but the good news is it’s treatable with a healthy diet, exercise and in some cases medication.

High cholesterol does not have any symptoms, which is kind of scary! The only way to know if you have high cholesterol is through a blood test. I definitely suggest if you have family members with it then you get yourself checked annually to ensure you aren’t at risk. It’s also wise to follow some of the tips I will suggest in order to lower your risk. The Mayo Clinic suggests getting a baseline cholesterol test at age 20 and then retested at least every 5 years.

You are more likely to have high cholesterol if you these risk factors apply to you:

·      Smoking – Cigarette smoking damages the walls of your blood vessels, making them likely to accumulate fatty deposits. Smoking may also lower your level of “good” cholesterol.

·      Obesity – Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater puts you at risk of high cholesterol.

·      Large Waist Circumference – Your risk increases if you are a man with a waist circumference of at least 40 inches (102 centimeters) or a woman with a waist circumference of at least 35 inches (89 centimeters).

·      Poor Diet – Foods that are high in cholesterol, such as red meat and full-fat dairy products, will increase your total cholesterol. Eating saturated fat, found in animal products, and trans fats, found in some commercially baked cookies and crackers also can raise your cholesterol level.

·      Lack Of Exercise – Exercise helps boost your body’s “good” cholesterol while lowering your “bad” cholesterol.

·      High Blood Pressure – Increased pressure on your artery walls damages your arteries, which can speed the accumulation of fatty deposits.

·      Diabetes – High blood sugar contributes to higher “bad” cholesterol and lower “good” cholesterol. High blood sugar also damages the lining of your arteries.

·      Family History of Heart Disease – If a parent or sibling developed heart disease before age 55, high cholesterol levels place you at a greater risk than average risk of developing heart disease.

Some complications you may face if you have high cholesterol are:

·      Chest Pain – If the arteries that supply your heart with blood are affected, you may have chest pain and other symptoms of coronary artery disease.

·      Heart Attack – If plaques tear or rupture, a blood clot may form at the rupture site – blocking the flow of blood or breaking free and plugging an artery downstream.

·      Stroke – Similar to a heart attack, if blood flow to part of your brain is blocked by a blood clot, a stroke occurs.

What scared me while researching was that children as young as age 2 can have high cholesterol!!!  

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a cholesterol test for all children between the ages of 9 and 11. The AAP also recommends screening for children as young as 1 year who have a known family history of high cholesterol or premature coronary artery disease. The AAP also recommends testing if the child’s family history is unknown but the child has risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure or diabetes.

Treatments

Lifestyle changes such as exercising and eating a healthy diet are the first line of defense against high cholesterol.

·      Lose Extra Pounds – Excess weight contributes to high cholesterol. Losing even 5-10 pounds can help lower total cholesterol levels. Start by taking an honest look at your eating habits and daily routine.

·      Eat Heart-Healthy Foods – What you eat has a direct impact on your cholesterol level. In fact, a diet rich in fiber and other cholesterol-lowering foods may help lower cholesterol as much as medication for some people.

·      Exercise Regularly – Regular exercise can help improve your cholesterol levels. With your doctor’s okay, work up to 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a day. Take a brisk walk, rider your bike, swim laps…whatever gets your heart rate up and you enjoy doing. Start by doing 10-minute intervals 3-6  times a day.

·      Don’t Smoke – If you smoke, STOP! Just 20 minutes after quitting, your blood pressure decreases. Within 24 hours, your risk of heart attack decreases. Within one year, your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker’s. Within 15 years, your risk of heart disease is similar to that of someone who’s never smoked.

Top 5 Foods To Lower Your Numbers

1.     Oatmeal, Oat Bran & High Fiber Foods

2.     Fish & Omega-3 Fatty Acids

The American Heart Association recommends eating at least 2 servings of fish a week. The highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids are in:

·      Mackerel

·      Lake Trout

·      Herring

·      Sardines

·      Albacore Tuna

·      Salmon

·      Halibut

You should bake or grill the fish to avoid adding unhealthy fats. If you don’t like fish, you can also get small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids from foods like ground flaxseed.

3.     Walnuts, Almonds & Other Nuts

4.     Olive Oil

5.     Foods With Added Plant Sterols or Stanols

This can be found in things like Orange Juice and Yogurt drinks.

Everything I previously wrote was all researched and majority of it came from the Mayo Clinic. I chose to leave my personal views out of it because I didn’t want to cause you to stop reading when it’s something that could really help you. I do have a personal view on this topic though. Some of it aligns with what I previously wrote and some does not. If you are interested in my personal approach on this topic then please keep reading, if not then I hope what you have read will help you to lower your cholesterol or even better…help you prevent high cholesterol.

My Personal Approach

As many of you know, I am a Beachbody coach. I truly believe in the products because I am a product of the products! I believe do believe high cholesterol can be inherited but I also am a strong believer that YOU have control over your body. It’s taken me 30 years to fully understand that though. What you put into your body DIRECTLY affects you and how your body reacts. I won’t go into all of that on this post….that’s for another day and a different post.

I strongly believe that you can prevent or lower your high cholesterol by exercising, eating a clean and healthy diet and by drinking Shakeology every day. Now before the firing squad starts, let me explain.

·    Exercising is an obvious. It helps get your blood flowing and though you may end up a little sore, it makes you stronger and produces endorphins, which make you happy.  Yes Beachbody has at home workout DVD’s and if you want one then let me know but even just going outside and taking a walk with your family is a great start!

·    Clean eating is something that my family and I only started recently, as in the last 6 months. When I say clean eating, I am talking about NON-PROCESSED foods. This means organic, fresh veggie…basically the stuff you find on the perimeter of the supermarket. There should be minimal things bought from the inside isles (olive oil, spices, organic wheat flour, etc). If you want more information regarding clean eating then I am ALWAYS available to help explain it. I also try to run FREE monthly clean eating groups through Facebook to help educate people. Contact me and I can add you to my next group.

·    Shakeology….THE HEALTHIEST MEAL OF THE DAY!!! I know many of you do not believe me and that’s fine. Just hear me out! A clinical trial was administered by Medicus Research; a leading clinical research organization for natural health products. After a rigorous selection process, 50 individuals were chosen to participate in a 90-day clinical study and their results blew everyone away—including the clinic administering the trial. The results were that people lost weight, lowered blood sugar levels AND The average total cholesterol reduction was 7% with the maximum reduction being 50%.

Either way…stay away from fried foods and grease filled foods, eat more fresh veggies, limit your dairy intake and get out and exercise AT LEAST 3 times a week. 

Again, I researched online to compile this information for you. The Mayo Clinic was a great resource and I used a lot of information from their site. My personal approach is my opinion along with information from the clinical trail done on Shakeology. If you have questions then please feel free to contact me by commenting on the blog or emailing me. :)