The result, a year later, was a rise of 30 points in my cholesterol. I can't believe I did this to myself. I didn't gain a lot of weight, only around seven pounds, but the increased cholesterol has me and my doctor worried enough that I've made a New Year's resolution to get it down. My doctor says it's not high enough to put me on medication, so he evidently trusts me to do what I can with diet and exercise. I really know what to do; I've done it before, but I scouted around the intenet to find a few reminders and some new ideas just to get me back on the right track.So here's my plan: Diet wise, of course I have to stop eating all that Ben and Jerry's ice cream...that's a given. In addition, I'm going back to low fat dairy in general and cutting out processed foods, including cookies and crackers. One exception is rice cakes...no cholesterol there. Here's one thing I haven't tried before: Cheerios for breakfast every morning, with walnuts and dried cranberries. They say it works; I'll let you know if it works for me.Now, for the exercise. I know for a fact regular exercise lowers cholesterol. So yesterday, I trekked over to the YMCA, where I have a membership I haven't used in months, and checked out what's available for seniors. First thing was the weight room. In October and November, I was in physical therapy and worked on my quads and ham strings. It really strengthened me and I lost some weight to boot. Anyhow, I'm going to work on the same machines at the Y. I lost some of that strength, because I didn't continue exercising after I was released from PT, so I need to get that back right away. In addition to the weight machines, I plan on using the treadmill. It's a machine that I can handle pretty well so I think it will be helpful. Finally, I will take a "sit-down" free weights class for seniors twice a week, for upper body strength.Now, besides lowering my cholesterol and gaining back some strength, I want to lose some weight. I have stage 4 arthritis, which is essentially bone on bone. So, strengthening those muscles around the knee and losing weight will help alleviate the pain.Good plan...right? Well, I just hope I can stick to it. It'll be hard when the business picks up again after January. But right now I'm pretty motivated and if I can get myself hooked on this program, like I was on PT, I think I can muddle through. Anyhow, at my age, it's super important to maintain my health and strength.....Pray for me.I found this video and I will be posting more ideas as I find them.If you enjoyed this post, please consider making a comment
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