Now is a great time to get your cholesterol numbers in tip-top shape. But just what is cholesterol? Cholesterol is a fat that circulates in your blood, used to build cells and certain hormones. It cannot dissolve in blood. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is considered good because it clears one’s arteries of excess fats. LDL (low-density lipoprotein), on the other hand, clogs the arteries and can lead to stroke or heart attack.
And did you know that your cholesterol can be too high ( above 240 mg/dL) or too low (under 160 mg/d)?
What contributes to high cholesterol? Poor diet and lack of exercise certainly can. Genetics can also play a role - familial hypercholesterolemia (high LDL levels) effects 1 in 500 people and can lead to heart attacks at an early age. As women age, the decrease in estrogen levels can also lead to a drop in HDL levels and a rise in LDL levels.
How do you keep cholesterol in check? Lose weight, quit smoking and drink in moderation. Daily exercise is also important - it’s been found to raise the levels of HDL in a person’s bloodstream. Avoid trans fats, limit cholesterol intake - under 300 mg per day, choose lean meats and skim milk, and eat whole grains, fruits, vegetables and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, walnuts, almonds and ground flaxseed.
Thirsty? Don’t ignore the urge. Take a big drink of water - not soda, juice, tea or coffee. These drinks are loaded with sugars, calories and some even have caffeine, a diuretic that makes you expel water and does the opposite of why you’re hoping to do: hydrate.
People continually underestimate the importance of water but it is essential to good health. I am constantly amazed when I see children attending sports practices and games without a water bottle - it’s important that both parents and children understand how important it is to keep your body hydrated. To start with, 70% of your body is water. Your bones are 25% water, your brain is 75% water and your blood is 83% water. Now consider this, water is a primary component of every single cell in your body and involved in every bodily function - making repairs, increasing immunity, helping your muscles contract, eliminating waste, regulating body temperature, lubricating joints, metabolizing fats and carrying oxygen and nutrients to your cells. When you’re dehydrated you’re depriving yourself of the ability to perform at your best.
And it’s not just sweating that causes you to lose water - you lose water when exhaling or going to the bathroom and when you have a fever, vomit or have diarrhea.
Dehydration means you’re losing more water than you’re taking in. Common signs of dehydration include feeling thirsty, dizzy or weak; dark-colored urine; dry mouth; confusion; heart palpitations; feeling sluggish; having swollen hands or feet; or being unable to sweat. If you do not drink enough water on a daily basis (whether you’re exercising or not) you may
- feel groggy
- not maintain its muscle tone
- have kidneys that underperform
- be more likely to get kidney stones or bladder infections
- become constipated
- have more frequent bladder infections
- suffer more headaches
- have dry and itchy skin
- not metabolize fats as well
- have trouble regulating your body temperature.
If you become severely dehydrated your blood pressure can fall, you can suffer seizures, coma or swelling of the brain.
Just how much water do you need? A good way to estimate is take your weight in pounds and divide it by two. That indicates how many ounces of water you should shoot for each day. If you want 120 pounds, that’s 60 ounces.
Finally, consider hydrating before exercise and outdoor activity. Your body has a bit of a delayed reaction - you don’t get thirsty when your body first needs water. That means by the time you’re feeling thirsty, your body is already suffering.
To parents — get your kids of the couch at an early age and promote a lifestyle that includes some sort of exercise every day (be it biking, a walk around the block, hitting baseballs, swimming, gardening…). To kids — get active, get outdoors.
Why? Well, besides the long-established benefits — cardiovascular health, lower rates of obesity and diabetes, healthier proportions of muscle mass — a new study shows a connection between exercise and GPA. According to the study, “Twenty minutes of daily vigorous physical activity among college students may lead them to have grade point averages about .4 higher, on a scale of 4.0, compared with students who do not exercise.”
Now think of what 40 minutes of exercise could do! I’m kidding, of course, but the study did indicate that while daily exercise is not necessary — the research did indicate that more exercise is better.
If you occasionally experience heartburn, you’re not alone. About 60 million people have heartburn at least once a month. So what do you think triggers heartburn? Stress? Spicy, greasy foods? They certainly can. But there are other culprits you may not be aware of.
Peppermint is usually thought to soothe an upset stomach. But if you suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peppermint can cause heartburn. Those with GERD experience heartburn more often than others because their stomach contents leak into and irritate the esophagus. The menthol of peppermint, which is known to soothe, can actually do its job too well - relaxing the sphincter between the esophagus and stomach. When that valve relaxes, stomach acids can enter the esophagus and lead to heartburn.
Eat your veggies. Drink plenty of water. Exercise daily. Nothing new there - you’ve heard it over and over. But for those of you who have suffered through diverticulitis, this advice is key. It can also play a role in preventing diverticulitis - a painful infection that occurs in small pouches, called diverticula, which can form in your intestines.
For people over 40, diverticula can be common - and most people are unaware of them. As you age, the weak spots in your colon can develop little pouches. These pouches can become irritated when materials collect in them - the risk for this is exacerbated by a diet that is too low in fiber, a lack of exercise and obesity.
When the diverticula become inflamed or infected, the result can be more than a little uncomfortable. You may experience abdominal pain on the lower left side of the abdomen, nausea, bloating, fever, constipation or diarrhea.
If you experience these symptoms, your physician will examine your abdomen for tenderness, take a blood sample to test for infection and may have you undergo a CT scan to identify the infected and inflamed pouches.
In most cases, mild diverticulitis is treated with a round of antibiotics, rest, a low-fiber diet and plenty of liquids. As you recover, your physician will alter your diet accordingly, generally reintroducing high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. More serious cases of diverticulitis may require surgery. If you develop peritonitis - in which a pouch ruptures - you will require hospitalization and immediate medical care.
Physicians used to recommend that patients with diverticulitis avoid seeds, nuts and foods with small seeds because they believed those particles lodged in the pouches and caused inflammation. Recent research indicates that these foods are not associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis.
To keep your intestines in tip-top shape, eat 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day, drink plenty of water, use the bathroom when your body tells you to, and exercise.
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