I get my cholesterol checked twice a year. It’s coming up again this month.

In April/May of this year my numbers were:

Total: 209
HDL: 79
LDL: 117
Triglycerides: 51

Sure, the total is over 200, and if you look at things in black-and-white that’s “too high” and I’m at a higher risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, yadda yadda yadda. However, check out the HDL. That’s the “good” cholesterol that helps minimize the presence of LDL (the “bad” cholesterol). It’s almost 80! For women the acceptable minimum is 40-50, so I’m thrilled with this number. And the LDL, which ideally shouldn’t be over 100, but is OK so long as it’s under 130… that’s great where I am. My triglycerides, stored fat in the blood, are also something to celebrate - 51 is well below the 150 considered the maximum acceptable! This one is a huge deal because this would increase if I were eating a lot of sugar and white-flour, processed foods.

Why am I so happy to share these numbers with total strangers? Because they’re evidence that making simple, but long-lasting lifestyle changes will improve more than just your waistline. A few years ago, before I changed my lifestyle, my total cholesterol was 239, my HDL was around 29, the LDL was just over 180, and my triglycerides were in the high 200’s, almost 300.

Within just a few months of regular exercise and a more nutritious diet, cutting wayyyy back on the processed foods, fast food and sugar, it wasn’t just my numbers on the outside that were changing! Sure, I was losing weight and inches, but my numbers on the inside reflected the positive changes too! In my case, yes. I started out trying to lose weight, but just being healthy for the rest of my life turned out to be my real long-term goal. Still, there are women out there who “don’t have to” exercise and can eat “whatever they want” and they still look phenomenal. It’s nice to be able to wear a bikini, or “skinny jeans” or a slinky dress. But how nice is it if you are not enjoying that in good health?

Last Modified : November 3rd, 2008 Filed under : Eat, Move Navigate : Previous post / Next post