Hey Everybody! Its Karen from Wellness Works NW. I find that this is the time of the year that I get new clients and I ask them if they have had any blood work done, like checking your A1C or Cholesterol? And they say, “No,” or “I did back in 1985 and it was fine.”
Those things are so important and they need to be checked. I know they are a pain and I complain too when I go to get mine checked but they are so important because they allow us to be preventive and our best health advocate. Our doctors are doing the best that they can but they don’t know our history, our parent’s history, Aunt Martha’s history and it is a good thing to get things checked.
Cholesterol is an interesting thing. I have seen people that look healthy and they go and get their blood checked and they are surprised that they have high cholesterol. A lot of time high cholesterol is hereditary and some people groups are more likely to have these type of issues. Its groovy. Don’t worry about that. What you want to worry about is getting a nice panel where you can see your A1C, Cholesterol and there are other tests to check if your hormone levels are correct. You want to get these tests done because when you are done, you feel so much better because you know you are doing what you need to do. If there is something wrong you can make a plan to implement lifestyle changes and come back in 3 months to see if you are doing better. Maybe you just to get a better meal plan or work on your stress level.
Cholesterol is the fatty substance in our blood. The main things we focus on are the HDL and LDL. We don’t think about it a lot, we think we are doing everything right, but you don’t really know that unless you get it tested.
HDL stands for High Density Lipoprotein and this is considered the good cholesterol because it helps your body eliminate the bad cholesterol. LDL is Low Density Lipoprotein and it the substance the causes plaque to build up on our arteries and that is something we don’t want. These plaques are also called clogs sometimes.
There are meal plans that are meant to help you lower your bad cholesterol. Its a process that you much continuously do. You make a plan and you make it happen. I have had several clients that went in and had a bad test but they did something about it that included exercise and eating better and those numbers went down. Talk about a natural high! They were ecstatic because they did something for themselves. I want to kind of help you along that wellness path, give you some pointers and keep track of what is happening. You’re busy making things happen so we want to be able to remind you that you need to get these preventative tests done.
One thing you can do for high cholesterol is to exercise, that’s right! You knew I was going to say that. There are many things you can do for exercise, there’s yoga or walking or you can simply stay at home and get your own regiment going. You can also have a regiment that you exercise at the gym sometimes and also at home. You have to develop a strategy based on what you think you need. Some people feel they need to exercise everyday and that is groovy. We are all different.
When you are at home and you trying to figure it out. You need to consider some equipment, eventually. You can start with water jugs and similar items you already have like towels for resistance but eventually you might want to purchase some real equipment like resistance bands.
The core is so important and I know you have heard me talk about this before because whatever you end up doing, walking, running or whatever you do for exercise you are going to work your core because a strong core is so important. We have found out that a lot of of our back problems start because we have a weak core.
There are so many types of resistance bands I prefer the bigger ones, they seem to work better for me, but for those of you that aren’t used to working your upper body as much as I do, or can’t work your upper body the way I do, these smaller ones are just great.
I am going to get on the floor and show you a couple of great core exercises. Do you want to get on the floor with me? You can take these bands, they are very durable and I am going to put my feet in them and pull them up to my knees. Next I am going to show you a Clam Shell. I have done this one before and people seem to like it. I lie on my back and bring my feet toward me so that my knees are up. I put my arms in my armpits so they are not in the way. You can lay them on the floor if you like, but this is how I like to do it. My feet are flat on the floor and I am going to bring them up and let my knees go up and over to the left until they are on the floor and then bring them up and over to the far right. Do a couple of those.
Next from the same position, with your elbows on the floor for stability just kick out. That resistance is helping to keep your knees together, like they should be and you can feel it in your abdominis rectus muscle…I can’t spell it but anyway…
Another exercise is called a Table Top. Keep your feet flat on the floor and your shoulders on the floor and lift up your core. You can feel that in your quads, the front of your thighs, your glutes and your abs. When you come up squeezing your glutes and then release. You can do this a few times and then go back to the first exercise.
I want you to think about what your plan is going to be. With these bands you can do all kinds of wonderful things. I want you to become proactive. Just because your cholesterol levels may be high, lets get it tested and then make that plan. I am sending all kinds of positive prayers and vibes.
If you need help with your Wellness Plan please give me a call or text at 360-447-8061
#KeepMoving #WellnessWorks #WootWoot
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Karen G. Clemenson is not a doctor or a scientist. She is a real person that eats too much sometimes and misses her workout on occasion but is mindful of her path toward wellness, all the time.
Karen understands that your physical wellness does not begin and end with your membership to a local gym. She knows that weight loss management begins with steps; some small and some large. These steps include diet, physical activity and retraining of the thoughts and habits that keep you from being successful on your path toward wellness.
