Sorry about last week folks, family was in town, and well you know how that goes.
First and foremost I think I need a "high-five". I got the results back from my physical and I dropped my cholesterol by 60 points! I went from 208 to 147. The drawback is my bad stuff, LDL is now in the average zone, but my good HDL is low. This could be because I stopped lifting weights for 5.5 weeks while training for the marathon and/or a lack in monounsaturated fats. It is probably a combo. I am super happy my hard work is paying off.
So this week is about the importance of having annual physicals. My personal story is this......
I never had annual physicals before. You know, I had done them in school to play sports and it never occurred to me to keep up this routine throughout my life. I maintained what I thought was a healthy weight - I did not own a scale till now - so this weight was based on how my clothes fit. My entire family takes medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc. and I thought this was going to be me too, it's hereditary right? So I ate what I wanted and exercised enough to make it satisfactory. I gained weight while pregnant and didn't loose it all after Noah. Oh well, that is just part of life. It happens to everyone. I went through my twenties telling myself I would do it when I was 30. Another baby came, more weight came along too. I still went around with my head in the clouds. I'll get the weight on sooner or later. 29yrs of age and I finally decide to have my first annual physical. I find out that I have high cholesterol, and the doc says he doesn't want to start me on medication, yet. The word "yet" was enough for me to say enough. I don't want to take pills. Period. I will give up whatever, and do whatever it takes, to prevent taking medication. Another factor that played into my decision to start having annual physicals was what happened to a loved one. One December day Kevin gets a call and someone we hold dear finds out they have leukemia. The only way they found out was through an annual physical.
There is so much talk about prevention and early discovery that we should take annual exams more seriously. Sure it takes time out of one day to go to the doc when you are not sick. You know what, is it worth not knowing something that could seriously impact your LIFE? For me, I think quality of life is way more important that having to sit in a doctor's office for ONE morning.
So, I urge all of you to start having those annual physicals. Almost all insurances pay for one annual a year. Take advantage of this benefit, after all you are paying for it and you are worth it!!
EXERCISE OF THE WEEK:
To the core folks!! Core strength plays a huge part in overall health. I can't stress that enough. So here it is...
Standing Side Bend With Towel - See Demo HERE
TIP OF THE WEEK:
Breakfast is very important. We have heard that our entire lives. Well, do you really know why? Try starting out your morning with a breakfast low on the glycemic index. It will help keep you full and will help you lose weight by stabilizing insulin. I'll go more in depth on this next week. Give it a try this week and see if you feel better! GOOD LUCK!
1 comment:
I have noticed that when I am in the weight loss, healthy mode that I do best when I eat breakfast everyday. Not a bowl of cereal, but an all out protein/carb rich breakfast. I more in control of my day, drink less coffee, I have more energy and do better all around. And, way to go about the annuals..especially us woman need our pap smears and those pain in the you know what checks..but they save lives, and get the medical community on top of things before they get bad.
Also, from someone who deals with people who have thrown away their health and are dying because of it ...care about your health! If you dont no one else will!
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