I have used public transportation, by varying degree, for nearly 15 years, and when I started, I enjoyed the luxury of living close enough to the best job I ever had so that I could walk, bike, or ride to work rather than driving.
Times have changed, employers have changed, and my current employer moved 6 miles further from my home a year ago. They used to provide half-price monthly passes, and now offer free monthly passes, on multiple public municipal transportation systems. Nonetheless, I have reduced my dependency on these modes by riding my bicycle for as much of my 44-mile round trip commute as possible.
Last Fall, I was riding 24 of those miles daily, down to 162 pounds, BP was 117/75, and for the first time in my 59 years, my good cholesterol was well into the desired range, and all the ratios were favorable. This year, I hope to get below 160, and walk/pedal 30 or more of those miles.
This post was submitted by Brett Hawks.
Good work.
See if your Library has, or can get, Heart Attack Proof by Caldwell Essellstyn (sp?)
http://www.heartattackproof.com/
Don’t believe any of the BS about ratios of LDL to HDL. Basically a high HDL is a GENETIC benefit that some people have. It’s just that most people are being killed by their high cholesterol diet (and high salt, low fiber…) so that having a genetically predisposition to a higher HDL confers a survival benefit. Eat more cholesterol (meat) and transfats and your total cholesterol goes up. Drugs can monkey with things - but stop eating the cholesterol and eat a healthy whole food diet (high in minimally processed grains) and your total cholesterol will fall thru the floor.
Going whole food vegetarian my total cholesterol went from 185 to 130.
The Framingham study basically showed that heart attacks simply didn’t happen to people with a total cholesterol under 150. Half of the heart attacks happen to people between 150 and 200 and half are people over 200. So - why aim to be below 200? Why not 150?
Cycling is great exercise. I’ve been involved in clubs with riders into their 80′s. As one gets older (speaking from experience) what matters most is consistancy. Only the teens can go beserk and bounce back the next day. The older you get the harder it is to recover from a break or accident or working out too hard.
Exercise is an important component of staying healthy.
However, so many myths have sprung up about fat and whatnot. What shocks most people is that taking the fat from meat (say going to skinless chicken instead of red meat) INCREASES your cholesterol intake! I heartily recommend any and all books by MD John McDougall to learn about this and many other health problems and how you really are what you eat. If you eat “grain fed” animals then your diet is high in cholesterol and omega 6 fatty acids (you want more omega 3′s).
After my family went whole food vegetarian - we dropped down to our highschool weights and are now nicely in the middle of the BMI scale for our height - all while getting less exercise than any time in the past 20 to 30 years! I wonder what shape I’d be in if I was still doing hiking and bicycling vacations - but the kids will not allow that for a while.
Comment by Eric — January 27, 2010 @ 10:44 am