Be Active!
Did you know one of the best ways to combat high blood cholesterol is to have a healthy diet and to be physically active? Finding a sport you enjoy such as surfing is a great way to combat stress and high cholesterol.
However, that isn’t the entire picture. Other factors matter as well. Being overweight or obese can also lead to increase the bad (LDL) and lower the good (HDL) cholesterol.
Another misconception is cholesterol is only a man’s problem. Women tend to have some protection from it due to estrogen, following menopause that changes. As all people get older, the trend is to gain weight, and their triglycerides and cholesterol levels tend to rise.
For some of us, heredity plays a part. I have had friends who eat “perfectly” and have high cholesterol and others who do not take care of their bodies and have ideal numbers. Do not be discouraged and think your efforts do not matter. A heart-healthy diet and regular physical activity are important for everyone and remember genetics only come to play 70% of the time.
The American Heart Association recommends all of us start speaking to our healthcare professionals at age 20 about cholesterol. We all have different risk factors, lifestyle choices, and pre-existing medical conditions. One thing we all have in common is the need to know what to do next in terms of our health, from a reliable source.
Please see your healthcare professional for your personalized recommendations.
Erin Wathen
As a Holistic Health Coach, it is Erin’s big hairy audacious goal is to change the dialogue around how we look at weight loss. It is not a matter of being it Ketosis or Food Swaps but the feelings we have that we are avoiding by overeating. Why are so many of us not tackling the real issues we have? It is easier and safer to obsess over the latest diet fad. Whether it be with our job, or our Mom, boyfriend, politics… until we address how we manage our feelings in the world, we are not going to.
