Cholesterol Diets and the way forward for healthier living

Cholesterol Diets and the way forward for healthier living by andyx5

More people are becoming aware of their own health and fitness needs in these modern times. As part of this new awareness of a persons general health is the realisation that cholesterol level is very important and having the correct level can reduce your chance of heart disease which is a major killer in the modern world.



The first thing to do is to get tested properly and find out what your cholesterol level is and then finding out importantly the difference between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. The bad cholesterol is known as LDL Cholesterol the LDL stands for Low Density Lipoprotein. The good cholesterol is known as High Density Lipoprotein.



Bad Cholesterol problems when too much LDL is circulating within your blood stream, it can slowly build up on the inner walls of your arteries . The arteries are extremely important in delivering fresh oxygen rich blood from the heart to the brain and other vital organs.



The bad cholesterol builds up with other substances to form a plaque, a thick hard deposit that when it builds up reduces the diameter of the arteries and also makes them less flexible. This can lead to the following problem of a clot forming within the arteries which leads to a stroke or worse a heart attack.



Good Cholesterol HDL provides the defence against heart attacks. Between a third and a fourth of blood cholesterol that flows within your arteries is made up of HDL Cholesterol. The HDL Cholesterol is good at taking the LDL Cholesterol from the Arteries to the Liver where the body can process it and it can be passed from the body safely.



The best course of action is to examine your diet and reduce the amount of fatty substances that you eat, lay off the desert menu. Take an Omega 3 supplement daily fish oils have a very good effect on reducing your LDL Cholesterol. I know within my family that has been a number of deaths from heart attacks. I take regular exercise and go swimming, swimming is a very good exercise as it stretches most muscles and gives the added benefit that it’s a non impact exercise.



Some exercise such as running a impact based and maybe not as good as looking for exercise equipment that is designed to produce non impact fat burning. Consider finding out your ideal weight and seek medical advice on how to attain it. Give yourself reasonable goals in achieving this and mark your progress on something visible.



It’s important you need to see progress and that you feel the difference within yourself. Sometimes if you can not manage to get to the gym go for a good 2 mile walk and try to attain a good breathing rhythm. This can be more therapeutic than sweating buckets on a treadmill.



When you go shopping spend a little bit more time in reading the labels and if you are not sure what a product is research it and find out how good it is to eat and will it provide you with healthy sustenance or be bad for you. Getting the balanced diet and understanding your bodies processes can really help in maintaining a healthy heart and a longer more enjoyable lifestyle.



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© 2007 Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool UK



Andy Bolton 39 Liverpool UK
Automation Engineer / Divemaster / Web Designer / Hot Air Balloon Enthusiast.
http://www.bravemain.com Hot Air Ballooning Website
http://www.info-exploder.com Blogging + RSS feeds Website



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Hip Abduction Exercise For Firmer Thighs

Hip Abduction Exercise For Firmer Thighs by Jennifer Adolfs

Hip abduction exercise and leaner thighs go hand in hand.



In basic terms hip abduction means to take the leg away from the midline of the body, kick your leg straight out to the side, or to work the outer thigh. So, when you are doing hip abduction exercise it involves some form of moving the leg away from the body, usually with added resistance for strength.



The hip is a ball and socket joint, which means that you can move the leg in four directions; abduction (away from body), adduction (toward midline of body), flexion (bringing the leg up towards the torso), and extension (drawing the leg straight back behind the body).



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Why is hip abduction exercise good for the hip joint and thighs?



Doing hip abduction exercise helps to strengthen and stretch the muscles that surround and protect the hip joint. As an added bonus, with the stretching and strengthening actions it pulls the muscles into longer and leaner lines.



These muscles include: gluteus medius and minimus, the piriformis (in the buttocks), the ilipsoas (in the groin), the tensor fasciae latae (upper lateral thigh), and the sartorius (runs from outside of lateral thigh into the medial side just below the kneecap).



Strengthening and stretching these muscles will help to stabilize the hip as well as to keep it flexible and working efficiently so we can move with ease. Most specifically, walk with ease and without pain.



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What types of hip abduction exercise should I be doing?



There are many different ways to do hip abduction exercise. You can exercise in a side lying position, lying on your back, or standing. You can work most all of these hip abduction exercises using the resistance of water in a pool.



Some of my favorites are Pilates based exercises done on a mat or utilizing Pilates equipment if you have it available.



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Side kicks:



All exercises done lying on your side with your shoulders and hips stacked on top of each other and legs angled slightly forward at the waist.



· Small Circles – With the top leg slightly forward of the bottom and at hip level circle the whole leg 6-8 times each direction. Keep the leg long and reaching through your heel. Think about reaching out of the hip to make it longer.



· Forward and Back Kicks – With the torso and bottom leg staying stationary as an anchor swing the top leg forward and back at hip level keeping the leg long and straight. Swinging the leg forward flex your foot, swinging the leg behind you point your foot. Keep the shoulders aligned as you swing the leg straight behind you.



· Open the Clam – Lying on your side with both knees bent out at a 90 degree angle, place your hand on the top hip and keep it aligned over the bottom hip. Squeeze your heels together and then draw your top knee away from the bottom knee. If you are aligned properly it should not open very far as with trying to open a very tight clam shell.



Leg Circles:



· Lying on your back with one leg extended along the mat anchored to the floor, the other leg extended up just under a 90 degree angle. Feel the thigh bone of the leg in the air set right in your hip socket and then circle it 8 times each direction.



Make the circles as large as you can control keeping your torso and leg on the floor very still. Shoulders and butt cheeks stay anchored into the floor as you circle.



Standing Hip Abduction Exercise:



· Standing with or without a weight around your ankles, kick one leg out to the side until you feel the outer thigh or hip stop you from going any farther without having to bend sideways. Make sure you stand with the spine extended as you kick to each side 10 times.



Jennifer Adolfs is a certified Pilates Mat and Equipment Specialist who works with musculoskeletal injuries. Check out her new Pilates Ebook that offers detailed pictures and descriptions of these and many more hip and core exercises. You can learn more by going to her web site at
http://www.Pilates-Back-Joint-Exercise.com




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