Here are my bad numbers: My blood pressure is 109/70 and that is at the doctor's office. So I am nervous, waiting for my cancer blood tests results. I've seen it as low as 99 over 50s. My pulse runs as low as the 50s sometimes. How does one cite those as bad numbers? Those are athletic type numbers. That is the problem.
My LDL and total cholesterol are high. This is probably due in large part to heredity. AND MY LACK OF CV. Exercise that is. I have wondered why I can't get my cholesterol numbers where I want them. I have given up. So I asked my oncologist what I could do. My BP and pulse are so good. What could I possibly do better? I hike I bike I play tennis I do tai chi. I think nothing of climbing a thousand vertical feet.These are all great aerobically. My last oncologist would have nothing to do with discussing Lipid Panels. But this new friend told me to do 30 minutes of CV most days and eat almonds.
Isn't aerobics as good as CV? For some things yes. For some things aerobics is better.
But for flushing the arteries of LDL, moderate cardiovascular exercise is the only way to go. How did I not know? I never realized that I could be in good shape with a dangerous arterial flow issue.
Luckily my LDL is the large buoyant kind. Or the good bad kind. Yes now there is not just good and bad cholesterol but also GOOD AND BAD bad cholesterol. Got it? Here, it's easy. Divide your triglycerides by your HDL (or if you prefer divide HDL into triglycerides). If that number is 2 or less you are good. Less than 2 supposedly means large buoyant LDL (good) instead of small dense LDL (bad). My very bad numbers are 240 total and 170 LDL. My HDL is a little lower than I would like, as over 60 is optimal. My triglycerides are very low (probably thanks to aerobics). Anyway my triglyceride to HDL ratio is very good. I'm large and buoyant at 140 lbs.
Here's the thing: I think that my blood pressure and heartbeat are so low that I do not pump the cholesterol out of my arteries. "Why should we move even if we are buoyant?" they say. Well I don't like their attitude. I don't want an over abundance of any LDL and so now they will get moving with 30 minutes of cardiovascular moderate exercise most days, I hope. For me, at 60 years of age, that means a consistent pulse of 88 to 112. To get this formula subtract your age from 220. This leaves 160 for me. 55% to 70% of 160 is my moderate CV exercise number FOR A HALF HOUR STRAIGHT. I've worked much harder than this temporarily on a vertical climb or on a mountain bike, but not for 30 minutes straight. It should be "can't carry on a conversation, I'm gasping too hard through my mouth" for 30 minutes.
I will try to blow the LDL away. Hope it works.
Oh yeah, almonds. Did you know that what you eat doesn't have as much to do with cholesterol as you think? I do not even eat an average of 1/4 the "healthy" amount of cholesterol per day on my "anti-cancer" diet. Yet my cholesterol is high.My stupid liver is making the stupid stuff just like all of our stupid livers. Give the liver a brain will ya? It's so important that it could use one. So my liver is no doubt over producing. Oh yeah, almonds (a handful unsalted daily). They block LDL production. Not cashews buddy.
I want to proclaim "heredity schmeredity". I don't want to believe I can't beat genetics, at least partially.
I hate almonds. I love cashews. I hate moderate cardiovascular exercise. I love aerobics. Oh well, do what you are told. At least I can still have porter and garden fresh tomatoes (when my IBS isn't acting up).
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