How Low Can Ya Go...

Howdy, ya'll!

I don't have time for a long post so this will be short and sweet! My sister arrives from Texas in 2 hours and I can't wait to see her! We've got lots of Fall festivities planned while she is here and we always have a blast together! I am running around getting the house ready for her and need to hop in the shower after my afternoon workout! But, I did want to pop in to tell you my good news!

My doctor called and left me a voice-mail asking me to call back to discuss my lab results. Remember last Friday Hubbs and I had our blood drawn for our annual check-up? I was concerned because this past April (before I started a clean eating/exercise lifestyle) my Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels were WAY high. EEP! My cholesterol had slowly been creeping up over the past 5 years and in April the doctor wanted to put me on cholesterol meds. For someone who doesn't take a single prescription drug, this did not make me a happy camper:(

I ranted in this post about how angry I was at that last doctor for not even inquiring about my diet or exercise regime AT ALL. The doc didn't ask me a single thing about what my diet consisted of or if I even exercised. She just wanted to push a pill on me and send me on my way.

Well, good thing I didn't listen to her!

Instead, I adopted a clean eating lifestyle and have been exercising my butt off (literally, where is my butt? HA!) for the past several months. I decided in April I was going to completely change my diet and go to the gym regularly and then get my blood drawn again in 6 months to see if diet and exercise would lower it. My little experiment, if you will and indeed it did! (I'm sure my daily morning oatmeal played a part, too! Thanks, Mr. Quaker! You da man!

I'm happy to report that ALL my numbers are in the "healthy" range! YAY!!! My Total Cholesterol even decreased by over 100pts! Wowza! I'm so so so thrilled and just had a feeling that if I changed a few things, my body would naturally respond favorably. And. it. did. Oh, and my Darlin' Hubbs is all healthy, too!

To think, I could have been taking cholesterol meds for the past five months (which I hear can be harmful to your liver/kidneys) and not even need it because my diet is now so clean. I told Hubbs that I am thinking of writing that other doctor a polite and professional letter voicing my disappointment and concern that prescription meds were her FIRST recommendation for me, rather than inquiring about my current diet and exercise habits. Once again, a tale of a doctor trying to treat the symptoms, not the cause. All I had to do was eat healthy and unprocessed foods and get movin' and 'Voila', I've got healthy cholesterol levels. For the sake of other patients, I think she should start with inquiring about their diet and exercise and educating people, before writing out a prescription drug. Just my humble opinion...

Anyway, just thought I'd share with you all! I guess I can even add that to the list of reasons I am going to continue training for this competition. At least it's safe to say I'm eating extremely healthy foods and definitely getting in enough exercise. (Boy, am I ever!) Lean proteins, healthy, natural fats and nutritious, complex carbs are my MO...and I think it's working!

OK, gotta hop in the shower!

Have a great day, lovelies! HUGS!


Question: 1) Have you had a turn-around in health simply by eating clean and exercising? Other than lowering my cholesterol to be in the normal "healthy" range, I'm also in the "healthy" bodyfat percentile for my height...and look tons better in clothes. Thanks to good, old-fashioned diet and exercise!

2) What do you consider qualities of a good doctor? I consider a good doctor someone who takes a holistic approach to medicine. Also, a doctor that exhausts all options naturally, before pushing drugs on patients.