Cholesterol Countdown
By Anju Gattani
Around this time last year I shared one of the biggest shock-of-my-life moments with all of you – when my cholesterol levels had skyrocketed to borderline level. My doctor warned me to get the levels down or she’d put me on meds.
I’m a fitness freak and have been so for a long time so this came as a shock and yes, I freaked out. After all the cardio, Pilates, aerobics, etc… how could this happen? After being vegetarian my whole life, cooking and eating home-cooked meals most days and refraining from sodas throughout the week… were the numbers from the blood-work true?
I guess they were because they sure weren’t changing.
So I did what any writer would. I made major lifestyle changes. The internet and a self-help sheet from the doc’s office taught me what foods help lower cholesterol. A fitness instructor helped me fit weight training in my morning exercise routine and our family started yoga and meditation too.
Sounds easy?
It was hard.
Every time I wanted to snack… I’d grab raw apples, oranges or wolf down a banana to curb the craving. Every time I thought of having toast for breakfast I’d remind myself it took 2 more minutes to microwave those oatmeal packets, add flax seed powder to it and have my coffee later. I learned to carry Ziplocs of raw nuts in my handbag so that I was always armed with a healthy snack and no excuse for saturated fats. I substituted olive oil for corn oil in most of my cooking and continued to work out and do yoga at least 5 times a week.
12 months later? Here we are again. And guess what? I knocked my cholesterol level (the bad LDL) down by 18% and I’m back in the normal range.
At first the news was shocking. Were the numbers from the blood-work true?
I guess they were because they sure weren’t changing. So I’m doing what any writer would. I’m sharing the news with all of you. Because if I can do it you can too!
Author Bio:
Anju Gattani is a fiction author and an international freelance journalist. Her debut novel, DUTY AND DESIRE, the first in her ‘Winds of Fire’ series is available in hardcopy via online order at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is available in eformat for the following: Kindle, Nook, Sony, Kobo and all Apple products. Find Anju at: www.anjugattani.com Twitter: @anju_gattani and FaceBook: Anju Gattani Author
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