Ladies, I’ve been holding out on you. I know – I’m sorry but I’ve had a guilty little secret. I might have mentioned once or twice in the “A Woman’s Heart” articles that I had several risk factors for heart disease – age, post-menopausal, family history, weight, hip-waist ratio, and high cholesterol.
When I say high – I mean, really high. The first time it was tested in my late 20s/early 30s (I really don’t remember my exact age), my “bad” LDL cholesterol was 205. In January 2008, it was 245. I won’t even mention what my total cholesterol levels were because, frankly, no matter how you look at it, my total cholesterol levels were just plain SAD!
My doctor and I had a great routine – he faithfully pointed out how high my cholesterol levels were to me each year and I just as faithfully brushed him off. After all, my father’s mother lived to be a 100 years old and had high cholesterol, so why worry? Then, I started writing this series and I found out exactly why my doctor was so concerned. I knew deaths from cardiovascular disease were high but I didn’t realize how. Until writing for you, dear readers, I didn’t realize that one in two women die from cardiovascular disease. I have to say, that caught my attention in a way that my doctor never did.
The more I wrote - the more I learned about cardiovascular disease - the more convinced I became that I MUST do something to get my cholesterol levels down and beat the odds. My doctor wanted me to look at going on a statin drug but I’ve been resistant to that idea for years. So, I tried something novel – I started taking my own advice and implementing what I’ve learned. The result? (And, I am proud of these results!) My bad LDL cholesterol is down from 245 to 200! (Yeah!) This is an 18% reduction and the best part is that it was accomplished without taking one of the statin drugs.
So, what did I do? How did I manage an 18% reduction in my bad cholesterol? Here are a few of the things that have helped me.
1. Movement. I try to get up and move every day. By move, I don’t mean the dreaded exercise, I mean simply move. I look for ways to move every day. If I’m going to the mall or grocery store, I parked at the back of the parking lot. I take an extra loop around the mall or grocery store. I park the car first and then walk back down the lane to the mailbox. I actively look for opportunities to get more movement every day.
2. Exercise. Yes, the dreaded exercise – I admit it – I exercised. I wish I could say that I’m in a perfect routine but that wouldn’t be honest. What I can tell you is that this summer I swam faithfully in the river at least 3 times a week. Yes, I’m sure the neighbors had a good laugh but I put a lifejacket on my little round body and managed to do a mile most days. I really hated to see the fall come and give it up because it’s my favorite exercise of all. Somehow, the 200 pounds of pecans I’ve been picking up the past couple of weeks hasn’t given me quite the same amount of pleasure as swimming did but I’m working to get into a new routine.
3. Vitamin D levels. Low Vitamin D levels has been identified as a risk factor for heart disease. Your body needs Vitamin D3 in order to process your cholesterol. I already knew that my Vitamin D levels were low so based on the newer research; I upped my daily dosage of Vitamin D3. My doctor checked my Vitamin D levels at the same time that he checked my cholesterol. Not only was my cholesterol lower, but my Vitamin D levels were normal as well. This was a double win for me!
4. Weight and Diet. Gross! Did someone say diet? I really hate to discuss weight and diet but so much of our health problems center around our weight that I had to address it since it was one of my risk factors. I’ve been on a diet off and on my whole life. I decided that this time, I would simply focus on becoming healthier and that improving my diet would be a part of that process. The point for me this time was that I wanted to make healthy dietary changes that I could live as a part of my lifestyle. Do I still eat things that are “bad” for me? Oh yeah! But, for the most part, my diet is healthier than before. As a result, I’ve lost seven pounds. Some of the dietary changes made include:
a. fresh fruits and vegetables every day
b. less red meat and more chicken
c. eating fish once a week
d. smaller portions (I discovered that if I use a smaller plate, I tend to eat less.)
e. waiting before getting seconds (I’m generally satisfied with the smaller portions so I try to wait before going back for seconds to make certain I’m really hungry and not just eating because I’m enjoying the flavors! I do love to eat!)
f. ordering a child’s portion when eating out (I also never supersize it!)
g. eating a salad once a day
h. eating “light” and supper (I try to make the “big” meal the noon meal so that I’m eating less at night.)
5. Sweets. I love chocolate. As far as I’m concerned, it is the most wonderful thing ever invented. Since dark chocolate is known to be beneficial to your heart, I try to eat dark chocolate instead of milk or other kinds of chocolate.
6. Waist-hip ratio. Because I’ve lost a little bit of weight and exercised a little, my waist-hip ratio has also improved.
Am I where I need to be? No, I still have more work to do. I’d like to lose more weight and I still need to lower my cholesterol even more. But, thanks to the Woman’s Heart series, I’m on the right track to be one less heart disease statistic. I hope you’ll join me.
Until next time, here’s wishing you a healthy heart.
Note: For more information on heart health related issues, please visit other “A Woman’s Heart” articles by this author.