Category: Health

Triglycerides

For as long as I can remember, my triglycerides number has been very troubling.  Always in the 300+ range and usually generally well into the 300s.  I think I actually had a number in the 400s at one point.

Try as I might, I could never get that number down to even a half way reasonable level.  Never.

But now I’ve been doing 18:6 intermittent fasting for about 12 months.  The entire purpose is to get the body to use ketones (body fat) and not just glucose.  The theory is that after 12 hours from your most recent meal, the body begins to use stored fat in addition to glucose, so with a 18:6 regimen, you get 6 hours with the body burning some stored fat. 

And surprise surprise my most recent triglycerides number is 103.  I did a double take when I saw the number — couldn’t believe it.  But it makes perfect sense — triglycerides measures fat in the blood, and the IF goal is to burn body fat.

 

My Story

Learn How To Breathe

Incorporate the practice of deep breathing in your life — where you inhale so much that it feels like your stomach is expanding as well as your lungs.

Deep breathing reduces stress and increases oxygen in the blood.  Both are significant health benefits.

But to do it on a regular basis requires DISCIPLINE.   Best to set aside a regular time during the day to do it as well as to pick events during the day that can trigger a deep breathing response — so that it becomes a standard daily activity.

When you are forced to wait, for instance, is an ideal time to practice deep breathing — at the checkout line in the supermarket or in your car during the commute, etc.

My Story

Alcohol

Had a rather large cup of red wine a week ago, and it was like a wrecking ball to my system.  I hadn’t had any alcohol in over 2 years.  Startling how devastating a single cup of wine can be for your system.

I suppose people who drink on a regular or daily basis get a bit removed from how much of a shock alcohol is to their system.  That doesn’t mean that it is less devastating to their health (and liver), only that they are desensitized to the impact, which in a way is kind of sinister, in that they don’t fully realize how malevolent alcohol is when they are using it.

I remember smoking cigarettes was the same way.  When you first smoke cigarettes, you choke on the smoke, and it makes you feel ill and woozy, but after you get used to smoking cigarettes, the smoke doesn’t bother you, and you don’t feel sick from it, but the smoking  is still undermining your health.

Interesting that in both cases — booze and smoking — the body is trying to tell you something with its initial repulsion.  But do you listen?

My Story

Salt in Canned Soups

Some people will make these compromises with salty canned soup, while others won’t.  I decide this kind of thing on a case by case basis.  Sometimes I do compromise, while other times I don’t.  As for canned soup, I’ll accept some salt but not massive amounts of it — while there are those people who won’t compromise on salt at all and make their own soups.  I use Amy’s organic soups because I like the organic ingredients but her soups do have a significant amount of salt.  Then again I don’t have the ordeal (for me an ordeal) of having to make my own soups.

Mind you, I am in the camp that says one should totally avoid all additional salt, as we get enough of the stuff embedded in the foods we eat, so extra salt is unnecessary and clearly unhealthy.  But if I tolerate the extra salt in Amy’s soups, I don’t want to have to make my own soups, and I also take advantage of how great her soups taste.  Mine would be pretty miserable at best taste-wise.

Then again, if you are handy with food and enjoy making your own soup, you are in the cat bird’s seat, and can scoff at all these commercial canned soups with their sky-high salt content.

My Story