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TwitThisWhat Is Live It Down?
Here are the basics in a nutshell. As you might expect, the cornerstone of the Live It Down Plan focuses on how you eat. If you're anticipating a draconian diet that limits you to lettuce and tofu, relax; you'll still get plenty of enjoyment from food. In fact, you can get roughly one-fourth of all of your calories from fat, as long as it's the heart-healthy kind of fat. And it doesn't restrict your intake of dietary cholesterol. (Yes, that's right, eggs and shrimp are back on the menu).What's more, you don't have to focus on limiting calories unless you're overweight, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 26 or higher. That's because the best way to control your weight is to eat right and get more exercise, not count calories -- even if you are overweight. In the end, exercise and a healthy diet are more important than what the scale shows. Studies find that even people considered overweight can still have healthy cholesterol levels and other measures that indicate a low risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) if they're following a healthy and cholesterol mindful lifestyle.
The rest of the eating strategy breaks down like this: 20 percent protein -- that includes meat, poultry, eggs, soy, fish, and beans, with the greatest emphasis on the latter two -- and 55 percent carbohydrates, primarily coming from complex carbohydrates like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Next, it is very important to move on a regular basis. The type of exercise -- walking, swimming, martial arts, digging in your garden -- doesn't matter, as long as you get your heart beating faster, stretch your muscles, and burn some calories so they don't get stored as cholesterol-raising fat. A moderate walking program is ideal as it gives you just about all of the exercise you need in an easy, safe, and convenient form. Add a few simple morning stretches along with short strength-training routines and you will be toned with a pumped up metabolism to help you burn even more calories.
A few key dietary supplements can help further slash your risk of heart disease. The recommendations vary depending on your situation. Everyone should take daily fish-oil supplements (for valuable omega-3 fatty acids) and a multivitamin/multimineral. Most people will benefit from a daily baby aspirin. Some people may add a natural cholesterol-lowering supplement like gugulipid, policosanol, or red yeast rice extract; the trace mineral chromium to enhance insulin sensitivity; or the antioxidant coenzyme Q10 if they are taking a statin drug to treat their cholesterol.
Finally, you must do something that's more difficult for most Americans than bypassing a super-size meal: relax. From focusing on a new way to breathe to a new way of viewing the world, you can bring a small island of peace and calm into each and every day.
Why try to lower your cholesterol through lifestyle when a pill can do the trick?
Several reasons. First, while cholesterol-lowering drugs are a boon to people who really need them, even the best drugs have side effects. And despite their effectiveness, no cholesterol-lowering medications will work as well as they should if you continue to eat a diet high in saturated fat, if channel surfing is your only form of exercise, or if you're sinking your retirement funds into cigarettes.
Another major benefit of lifestyle modification: It helps disarm or defend against other CHD risk factors that cholesterol-lowering drugs don't affect. We're talking about everything from high blood pressure to diabetes, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. Living a more healthy life also attacks inflammation (elevated C-reactive proteins -- a marker of inflammation -- may be more dangerous than high cholesterol), and blood components like triglycerides and homocysteine.
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