Why I Do This

I'd always had a problem with high cholesterol. Even when I was in good shape, my rating was always over the mark (200). My ratio of good cholesterol to bad was always excellent, so no worries, right?

Wrong. As I aged and grew more sedentary this, too, changed. Heart-related problems run in my family – heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure – all leading to death eventually. In fact, heart-related problems are still the number one killer of women in the U.S. I'd gotten to the point where I was over 185 pounds. My cardiologist was so concerned she did an angiogram. Thank the great one that I had a beautiful, clean arterial system. But my cardiologist still wanted me on meds. I convinced her to give me a year, see what I could do. She reassured me I couldn't stop aging, which was a large factor. But she gave me the year.

I cheated. I took a year and a half. I'd hired a trainer, exercised religiously and followed my trainer's diet to the tee. I'd lowered my weight to under 140 pounds. When the moment of truth came, I had my blood drawn. A few weeks later I waited nervously in the cardiologist's examination room for my results. She came in, dropped the files on the table and after looking at me somewhat strange said, "What have you been doing?" I told her lifting weights, cardio, a low-fat, low-carb diet, but enough good fats and good carbs. "Why?" I said. "What's my cholesterol level?" She said 191. And my good cholesterol had gone up from about 32 to 48 – a major improvement. She'd told me then she'd never in her twenty some years of practice ever seen anyone changed their cholesterol level this much with just a life-style change. She was so impressed she wrote a personal letter to my trainer.

I was convinced. No longer would I abuse my body. I had children and grandchildren to live for. I had a younger sister who was dead from an enlarged heart. My mother was bedridden from a stroke. My uncle died in his 40's from a heart attack. How many more warnings did I need?

None. I exercise regularly now, watch my diet and keep my weight down. And if I can you it, so can you.