What You Need to Know About Your Cholesterol
Walk of Healing Newsletter/Blog - What You Need to Know
September is Healthy Aging Month
We all age, from the time we are born, until the time we die. Based on our lifestyle, genes, diet, level of fitness, and how we handle stress, determines just how slow or fast we age. Although science and modern technology has created surgical and cosmetic ways to give us tummy tucks, breast augmentations, facelifts, butt lifts, liposuctions, etc., the body still begins to breakdown little by little every year we are alive.
However, we can slow down the aging process in a number of healthy ways.
September is Healthy Aging Month, which means that there are certain life-style changes we all need to adopt in order to feel our best, look our best, and be as healthy as we can be, at any age.
The following are several natural ways to age gracefully and intelligently! I'll share more ways in my newsletter.
1. De-Stress - While stress can come in a number of forms, most stress is relational, meaning, caused by human conflict between men and women, boys and girls. Whether you are stressed by a family member, friend, co-worker, colleague, supervisor, or worried about life situations, stress can steal your joy, ruin your mood and become the entrance to various diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. These diseases often escalate into strokes and heart attacks, which will eventually accelerate the aging process, resulting in pre-mature wrinkles, brittle bones, arthritis, even heart disease.
Some of the best destressing methods include: Walking outside in nature, prayer, meditation, reading, listening to soothing, relaxing music, yoga, aromatherapy, deep breathing routines, taking a warm bath, massage, dancing, singing, and stretching. Try at least two or three of those methods per day, then watch and feel how your stress will start to melt away!
2. Eat Your Fruits and Drink Your Vegetables - Make sure you are eating a combination of whole foods, which are fresh and organic foods, not canned, packaged or processed foods. Some of those whole foods include: apples, oranges, strawberries, blueberries, Romaine lettuce, celery, cucumbers, avocadoes, spinach, kale, and beets, just to name a few!
Did you know that what you eat affects your temperament?
According to certified nutritional consultant Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, "Research into brain function reveals evidence that the emotions of love, faith, joy, fear and sadness - and even our sense of purpose in life - are not merely attitudes created through the mind's thought processes. They are actually produced and reinforced by biochemical activity plied by the food we eat," she explains. "Cooking and especially, processing of foods destroy nutrients needed to avoid anxiety, depression, mood swings, and many other mental and psychological disorders."
What do you know about your cholesterol, and do you know the difference between having good cholesterol levels and bad?
So lets start with what cholesterol really is... Cholesterol is in our bodies. It builds cells and makes vitamins and other hormones.
There are two types of cholesterol - LDL and HDL. LDL stands for Low Density Lipoprotein.LDL is the bad cholesterol. Too much LDL cholesterol can build up in your arteries, clogging them, and causing heart attacks and strokes.
The two sources that your body absorbs cholesterol from are through your liver and animals - eating meats such as beef, chicken, liver, lamb and dairy for example.
Diary products tend to be high in cholesterol, containing trans fats and saturated fats.
These fats cause the liver to produce an over abundance of the LDL cholesterol in the body.
HDL stands for High Density Lipoprotein, and is the good cholesterol.
However, if your doctor tells you that you have high levels of triglycerides, indicated in your lab results, this means that your LDL levels are high and your HDL Levels are low. Of course, as mentioned earlier, this is bad news, because LDL is your bad cholesterol level. Your LDL levels should be low.
According to the CDC, nearly 38% of Americans have high cholesterol. This means that almost half of the U.S. population is at high risk for heart disease and stroke, two of the country’s leading causes of death.
In September, we recognize National Cholesterol Education Month in order to bring awareness to the effects of high cholesterol and what it can do to your body.
While high cholesterol can be hereditary, there are some lifestyle changes you can make to improve your cholesterol levels. These include reducing saturated and trans fats, eating foods rich in omega-3, exercise, not smoking, drinking alcohol only in moderation and losing weight.
Check out this video from American Heart Association.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
PTINR