What is cholesterol?

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Cholesterol and triglycerides are fatty substances that can be found in the blood. There are 2 types of cholesterol:

(1) Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol which is sometimes referred to as BAD cholesterol because it increases your risk of coronary heart disease
(2) High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is the GOOD cholesterol because it protects you against coronary heart disease

Triglycerides travel through your blood and are also stored as fat deposits in your body. High levels of triglycerides are common in people with high cholesterol, and in people who are overweight and have heart disease and/or diabetes.

LDL cholesterol accumulates along your artery walls, forming plaque and narrowing your arteries. HDL cholesterol then comes along and tries to clean it up.

So usually when you get a blood test the doctors will check both your total cholesterol and your HDL cholesterol levels and then sometimes they will calculate a ratio by dividing the total cholesterol by the HDL cholesterol. The lower this ratio…the better off you are when it comes to heart disease. Read more

Obese Criminal sues jail for weight loss

So this must go down as the “wackiest weight loss” story of the year.

Broderick Lloyd Laswell, an inmate at the Benton County jail , has filed a lawsuit against the jail because he’s lost nearly 100 pounds while he’s been awaiting trial for murder.

Broderick entered the prison at a whopping 408 pounds…..This gentle giant who allegedly fatally beat and stabbed a man, is complaining that the menu just isn’t up to scratch….providing only 3000 calories a day.

“I could still eat a horse and chase the jockey” is the nightly call from the prison dining hall….But Why is he complaining?

100 pounds off his frame is just what he needs….it’s better for his health and possibly his jail love life…especially if he’s going to spend the rest of it inside. Read more

Snack attack of the impulse kind

They’re so clever!

While from a marketing point of view I applaud Supermarkets, Petrol stations and 7/11’s for their strategic placement of sweet snacks right next to the checkout, from a health & fitness perspective it’s “Temptation Island” baby.

Liz is still working on my spending at Petrol stations…I’m forever picking up a bottle of coke zero and chewing gum…(ok, and the odd chocolate bar) Read more

3′o’clock coffee break

Got the 3 o’clock yawns?

Try reaching for a coffee instead of an energy drink…

But hang on a minute Kel - didn’t you say caffeine can kill you? One cup won’t and it’s loaded with with antioxidants. Another plus is it has fewer kilojoules than energy drinks…provided of course you go sugar free.

Red bull may give you wings…but they’ll be no use to you if you’re to heavy to get off the ground…ever seen a seagull take off after it’s scoffed down a half a dozen chips? It ain’t pretty.

Back to the 3 o’clock coffee break - The NSW institute of sport recently found caffeine actually helped boost your athletic performance….This will come in handy if your boss asks you to get down to the bank 5 minutes before it shuts.

But on the other hand - if your boss invites you into his office to help him complete the last 3 lines of his cross word puzzle…you might want to swap the coffee for tea…latest research shows that amino acids in tea can make you sharper upstairs than your latte sipping work mates.

Now - I’m off for a coffee…chiao

Today’s sugar rush

I did something good today…I played guitar and sang at my grandmothers nursing home for their “Mothers Day Lunch”.

Apart from the 3 or 4 oldies that fell asleep half way through the show, I think everyone enjoyed the music…they must’ve, because they rewarded me with a nice big box of chocolates.

The chocolates didn’t even make the trip home….sigh

Switching on my computer tonight and skimming through my RSS feeds, a post from the Fit Shack caught my eye….It shouted “Kel..you better read this one after today’s sugar rush!”

You can check it out JoLynn’s #1 Suggestion to start breaking sugar addiction here

Stress Soloution #1 - Fulfillment & Purpose

I don’t know if you are like me, but sometimes I find it so difficult to hear my own thoughts above the constant background noise of other people’s chatter … (“Mum, can I please have something to eat?” “Mum, I’m bored!” “Honey, have you seen the car keys?” “Mum can you wipe my bottom?” ) It’s easy to lose yourself or at least, the person you used to be.

It’s a fact of life… these things don’t go away (and in some cases you wouldn’t ever want to change it), but Andrew Sheridan who is a life coach has some suggestions on how to make your situation better…

Read more

May’s fit tips

May’s fit tips come from Pat Kings fitness site..

Pat is a serious fitness guy who has been in the health & fitness industry for over 12 years..He’s put together a very nice collection of fitness tips that will help you improve your waist line throughout the month of May.

So without any further a do…here they are - The top 10 health tips for the month of May

Skipping: The complete workout

Are you sick of jogging?… well and truly over power walking through your neighborhood?

Well at Liz Harper Fitness we’re always searching for new and exciting ways to exercise, and we’ve come across something that most of us used to do everyday when we were kids, but for one reason or another we don’t do anymore.

Skipping.

Don’t worry, I’m not talking about the rope skipping Rocky perfected in all 6 of his movies, The kind if you’re like me you’ve tried a million times to perfect in the privacy of your own garage but keep tripping up and landing on your…well…you know.

I’m talking about the kind of skipping we did when we were kids.

Now before you roll your eyes and think I’ve totally lost the plot, jump up out of your chair and quickly skip down the hallway….

Yes…you can sing as well:)

Read more