It's National Cholesterol Education Month

I just ran across a notice about September being National Cholesterol Education Month. I didn’t know that.

What I do know is that cholesterol is a waxy kind of fat like substance that is present in many of the foods that I eat and can wind up sticking to the walls of my arteries and builds up if I get too much of it. The end result can be a heart attack or a stroke. Your family history also plays a role in determining whether you are more at risk to heart problems. I can personally vouch for that statement, because I have the scars to prove it.

There are two types of the stuff. One is HDL which is usually called “Good”, and the other is LDL which is the “Bad” one. To remember which is which I have memorized a little memory jogger, using the first letter of each type. H is for Healthy, and L is for Lousy.

My point here is that if you keep your cholesterol number low (Usually under 200) it can help lower Your risk of having a stroke or heart attack. Check with your doctor about what your individual cholesterol level should be, and then work to keep it at that healthy level.

How do we do that? To summarize what The American Heart Association, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and American Diabetes Association have to say:

Make sure your diet is low in saturated fats, trans fat, and cholesterol.
Get regular physical activity. I try to exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
Lose Weight, if you are carrying any extra.
Quit Smoking, If you smoke.