Today I want to discuss cholesterol. Later I hope to get into muscle definition and sculpting, but that may end up becoming an entirely separate post.

Anyway cholesterol...this past Monday, I received a call from my doctor. She made a note to 'sneak' a cholesterol screen into a host of other blood tests that she was ordering. As it turns out, my cholesterol is in fact high. I really already knew this was the case, as I showed high cholesterol levels back in high school when my insurance company tested me. At the time I assumed that it was a random fluke b/c while I wasn't eating healthy, I was only 17 and quite active in dance class. I didn't make any changes in my diet, as I assumed that things would work themselves out over time. Well they haven't. It turns out that my cholesterol levels total 224, which is borderline high. I believe that the range for borderline high is 200 - 239. Above that is dangerously high and below that is normal. I am supposed to comeback in 4-6 months for retesting, and hopefully they will be back within the normal ranges by then.

Until then, let's discuss what cholesterol means and how I can actively work to bring it down.

Basically, "Cholesterol is a fat-like substance (lipid). About 80 percent of cholesterol is manufactured in the liver. The remaining cholesterol is consumed in cholesterol-rich foods such as meat, eggs or dairy products." There are several different types of cholesterol to be aware of:

- High-density lipoproteins (HDL). “Good” cholesterol, HDLs move easily through the blood and are actually beneficial. They are stable and do not stick to artery walls.

- Low-density lipoproteins (LDL). “Bad” cholesterol, LDLs contain more fat and less protein than HDLs. LDLs are unstable and tend to fall apart. They are more likely to adhere to the walls of the artery and penetrate the protective inner lining of cells (e.g., the endothelium).

- Very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL). These are extremely harmful lipoproteins that carry triglycerides and cholesterol.

- Intermediate-density lipoproteins. Like VLDLs, these also carry triglycerides and cholesterol.

- Chylomicrons. These are very large particles that are rich in triglycerides.

As I understand it, doctors tend to speak in terms of HDL and LDL levels. Although HDL seems to be the safer/better of the two, their are healthy limits for both. Above I noted the ranges of normal, borderline high, and high total cholesterol levels. However, the individual HDL and LDL ranges break down as follows.

LDL
< 100 =" Optimal" 129 =" Near" 159 =" Borderline" 189 =" High"> 190 = Very High

HDL
< higher =" High" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">ivillage.com (http://heart.health.ivillage.com/cholesterol/cholesterol.cfm)

So how do I bring my high cholesterol back down to within healthy ranges? As with all things, diet and fitness seem to be key. The American Heart Association advises that we eat no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day, 200 if you are already at risk. There for it is key to check food labels, and purchase items with lower cholesterol levels. However, it was noted that some items may be marketed as 'Low Cholesterol' when they still contain large amounts of trans fats and saturated fats. Since trans and saturated fats also lead to significantly high cholesterol levels as well, then you aren't doing yourself any favors if you don't check the labels for those as well. Additionally, red meats are believed to be high in fat and cholesterol levels. It is recommended that if you eat red meat, that you stick to leaner items (like ground beef, which has cholesterol levels comparable to chicken) rather than steak, pork or veal.

While there isn't a whole lot of additional information on the correlation between exercise and cholesterol, the general consensus is that healthy body weight and active lifestyle will not only reduce cholesterol levels, but also other risk factors for heart attack and heart disease. It is believed that even small amounts of weight gain like one pound per year can significantly affect cholesterol levels over time. Again, info taken from ivillage.com (http://heart.health.ivillage.com/cholesterol/lowchol.cfm)

One final note. In an attempt to reduce the amount of red meat in my diet, I have increased the amount of chicken and seafood. This is fine, except for the fact that shell fish is fairly high in cholesterol. In particular I LOVE to eat shrimp. However, while low in calories and fat (84 and .9 respectively for 15 lg shrimp), shrimp has a moderate amount of cholesterol (166 mg). This is just the shrimp alone. I haven't yet accounted for butter and sauce, or cholesterol intake from other meals of the day. Remember total cholesterol levels for the entire day should be between 200 - 300mgs. Compare this to baked crab (3 oz.), which may have 117 calories and 5 grams of fat, but only has 80 mgs of cholesterol. Now, the point is not to cut shellfish from the diet, as there are plenty of benefits to eating it. The point is to be careful about portion control and frequency. Rather than making shrimp my favorite dish to order, I will have to focus more on choosing chicken/turkey, fish, and veggie options. When I do opt for shellfish (shrimp, crab, scallops) I will have to be sure to stick to reasonable portions, healthy preparation (steamed, boiled, baked with minimal butters and heavy sauces) and healthy sides. Info taken from Yale-New Have Hospital website (http://www.ynhh.org/online/nutrition/advisor/shellfish.html)

Whew, that was more than a mouthful, wasn't it. I'll have to comeback another time with my thoughts about muscle definition.

My final thoughts are that healthy living is really going to have to move to the forefront of my mind. High cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, and heart attack are no joke. The time to get serious about these changes is now, while I am young and relatively healthy. It will be a hell of a lot harder to make these changes as I continue to age, become more busy, and pass from borderline into dangerous.

Challenge time: I know, I know. I have been failing miserably with my challenges lately. My goals are simple this time. I want to get my cholesterol back down to below 200 by my next doctors appt in June. Also, I want to consistently work out 4 times a week (min). I was going to shoot for a 20 lb loss, but I am hoping that with simply focusing on getting to the gym at least 4 times a week (preferably 6), then the weight loss will come in pound and inches. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

BTW: I was successful at getting to the gym a min of 4 times a week last week, and I'm on target for this week.