Guest Post: The Hidden Truths About Cholesterol and Statins by Adrienne Nicole, Mercola.com

I’m a big fan of searching for answers when I have a question, and a while back I was looking for information on how to help a client get better sleep, when I came across an article from mercola.com.  Check it out here.

 

Anyways, my readers, aka you, must have enjoyed the article because mercola.com asked if they could write an article for my blog.  When they told me that it was about Cholesterol I was very interested because I have an interest in cholesterol’s relationship to testosterone production, it’s affects on heart disease (I have a family history of heart disease) and I like butter, steak, coconut oil and other high saturated fat foods.

 

Enter, Adrienne Nicole, a writer for mercola.com.

 

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The Hidden Truths About Cholesterol and Statins

For years, the medical community has feared cholesterol. It has been regarded as the primary cause of common American disorders, such as heart diseases and obesity. Due to its reputation, certain types of foods have been demonized and labeled as hazards to health. Among these are eggs and other foods rich in saturated fats.

Every time high cholesterol is diagnosed – often around levels of 200 to 250 –cholesterol drugs called statins are prescribed to patients. According to research, statins are the second most prescribed medicine in the United States, and tens of millions of Americans are taking it. The more pressing matter is not only are adults taking this but kids as well.

First of all, false facts have been spread about cholesterol and statins for the past two decades. Instead of working hard to suppress the formation of cholesterol, people should understand that the body requires it to function well. Second, statins may be successful in inhibiting cholesterol production, but their adverse effects outweigh their benefits.

Before acting on your cholesterol levels, you must first understand what cholesterol does and why statins are not the answer to regulating it.

Why Cholesterol is Your Friend, Not Foe

Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance, 75 percent of which is produced by your liver. It is utilized by your body for the production of cell membranes, hormones, vitamin D, and bile acids that contribute to fat metabolism. At the same time, cholesterol plays an important role in the formation of your memories, and is key for your optimal neurological function.

Cholesterol levels that fall within 200 and 250 should not be the basis of high cholesterol. In fact, there are people who have levels within this range but are not at all at risk for heart disease. On the other hand, there are some who have “healthy” levels, which fall below 200, but possess an increased chance of having a heart attack. Health experts believe that unless your levels are 330 and above, you should not worry about high cholesterol.

While there are consequences with extremely elevated levels, studies show that low levels of cholesterol can bring about the following side effects:

  • Higher risk of depression
  • Increased suicidal tendencies
  • Increased violence and aggression
  • Higher chance of contracting cancer and Parkinson’s disease

The key is to keep your cholesterol levels at healthy range. In order to do so, you must avoid statins at all costs. There are now more than 900 studies proving the adverse effects of statins.

How Statins’ Side Effects Overshadow Their Benefits

As mentioned before, statins are a HMG-CoA reductase or cholesterol inhibitor. Specifically, they block the enzyme in liver that formulates cholesterol in your body. While these cholesterol drugs are successful in doing so, they disrupt several mechanisms in your body, as well as induce several unwanted effects on your body.

One of the major complaints reported due to statins is muscle problems. Cholesterol-lowering drugs affect your muscles by activating the atrogin-1 gene, which contributes to muscle atrophy. Common indications of muscle damage are muscle pain and weakness. If not dealt with, an advanced case of muscle degeneration called rhabdomyolysis can destroy your tissues.

Several other problems that are linked to statins are:

  • Polyneuropathy or nerve damage in the hands and feet
  • Acidosis
  • Immune system impairment
  • Memory loss and cognitive decline
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Pancreatic and hepatic (liver) dysfunction

Statins can also prevent the production of an important nutrient in the body called Coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10. This coenzyme is actually important for your cellular energy production. It is produced in the same pathway that cholesterol is created. When you take statins, the creation of CoQ10 is also inhibited.

Statins also contribute to the rising of your blood sugar. Your liver also functions to convert excess sugar and grains into cholesterol and triglycerides. With the intake of statins, these sugars are then sent back to your bloodstream. Because of this, you become more at risk of diabetes or hypoglycemia.

How to Keep Your Cholesterol Levels at a Normal Range

The best method to maintain your normal cholesterol levels is to go natural. Integrating a healthy diet and proper exercise in your lifestyle is the most effective way to keep your cholesterol levels from becoming abnormal. This may require discipline and great effort, but it can also influence your entire physical, emotional, and mental health.

It is best to avoid processed foods rich in sugars and grains, as these contributed to a myriad of disorders. Add more heart healthy choices to your diet, such as grass-fed meats, raw eggs and dairy, avocados, raw nuts and seeds, as well as coconut oil and olive oil. Avoid frying your foods; instead, consume them raw.

Eliminate alcohol and smoking from your lifestyle. Exercise to keep your blood circulation regulated. This will transport elements of your immune system to various parts of your body, keeping your resistance high. Do not just include aerobics in your routine. Perform other activities, such as high-intensity exercises, strength training, core exercises, and stretching. Of course, it is important to have adequate rest periods when you exercise to allow your muscles to recover.

 

About the Author

Adrienne Nicole works as a writer for Mercola.com, the world’s most visited natural health site. Many of her relatives have been diagnosed with high cholesterol and other related problems, and she has recently learned that she too is at risk for these. Thanks to Dr. Mercola, she has learned effective strategies on how to keep both her physical and emotional health in optimal condition.

 

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Summary

 

Adrienne’s article kind of follows the nutrition philosophy I have and teach my clients about, while also being blunt about how to reduce your risk for high cholesterol (discipline, natural foods, exercise, eliminate alcohol & smoking, avoid processed foods, refined sugars and V, cover your ears, grains), why cholesterol is good, why too much or too little cholesterol is bad and what the side of effects of taking statins are.

 

What did you think?

Be sure to click like on this article to give Adrienne some recognition for it and comment below to tell me what you think?  Do you agree, disagree, etc…

 

Yours changing lives,

 

Mike Alves

Newton Boot Camp

Newton Personal Trainer

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p.s.  click like, share or tweet to give Adrienne a shout out.

p.p.s.  comment below to share your thoughts

 

 

 

5 Minute Office Stretch Routine



Do you remember when you were in school?  Ahh the good ‘ole days of being a dependent.  😉

Do you remember when you had 5-10min b/w classes where you got up, moved around or walked to your next class?

Do you remember how it served as a wake up and refreshed you mentally?

How about now?

Do you build in these 5-10min breaks every hour just to stand up and get loose, get the blood moving and get yourself feeling good?

Here’s what I like to do.  When I know I’ll  be working at my computer / desk for a while, I set my stop watch for 15, 25, 50 or 55min to work on a task and then when it chimes I stand up.  If it’s a shorter time, like the 15 min interval, I just stand up.  If it’s the longer time, say the 55min interval I’ll refill my water glass, use the restroom, stretch or do some pull ups, push ups, a plank circuit or movement prep.  Whatever my body needs at the time or whatever goal I’m working on that day.

Mike Drinking Water Novelty

Bird Drinking Water Novelty

I proposed this idea to my clients and some of them say they can do the stand up, get the water, use the restroom and some light stretching, but most say they can’t do lower body stretching or exercises because of how they’re dressed or where they work.  I thought about this for a while and I decided 2 things:  1) I’d show you how to stretch your whole body if you were wearing a suit or skirt.  2) if your concern for your work environment is b/c other people are there, get over it.  Either you’re a leader and you do beneficial things 1st that other people are afraid to do or might even laugh, whisper and point fingers at you for, or you continue feeling so-so and wait until someone with courage, who doesn’t care what other people think, does it.  Did I ruffle your feathers?  I hope so, b/c you’re about to increase your blood flow by following this 5 minute office stretch routine.  (really it’s only 5-minutes and it’s a follow along circuit).

Without further ado…

 

5 Minute Office Stretch Routine


If you liked this video, feel free to share it, comment on it or like it.  If we receive 100 comments, I’ll make a 5 Minute Office Workout you can do in a suit.  We might need props though.  Have you seen my stapler?

 

Yours changing lives,

 

Mike Alves

 

p.s.  comment below if you liked it or did it.

p.p.s.  if I’ve helped you in anyway at any time please vote me best personal trainer (a.k.a. coach).  click here.

p.p.p.s.  if you got into your best shape, changed your body or transformed your life, please vote us best boot camp (a.k.a. program).  click here.

 

 

How do I lose 5-10 lbs?

Question: How do I lose the last 5-10 lbs?…or…How do I gain 5-10 lbs?

Answer:  It has to do with liquid calories and new research backs up what many coaches & people already knew.  Continue reading to find your answer.

Water: a non-caloric beverage

 VS.

Soda: A caloric beverage

How to gain weight?

What seems like a lifetime ago now, I used to work with professional, college & high school athletes and to help them not only keep weight on, but gain weight I’d have them drink liquid calories in addition to their meals because it was a great way to sneak in extra calories. I did the same myself when I was in a weight gain phase back in college. (I entered college at 147 lbs. and left college at 195 lbs.)

 

How to lose weight?

However if you’re looking to lose weight, you definitely want to skip the calorie drinking and replace it with water while focusing on “solid” whole foods.

Dr. Tom Halton, the author of The Weight Loss Triad, just wrote an article on this subject and cited new research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Tate, et.al., reported subjects who replaced their caloric beverages with non-caloric beverages lost 5% of their body weight over 6-months vs. the control groups who didn’t replace their caloric beverages. If you’re 185 lbs and you’re looking to lose the last 9.25 lbs, or if you’re 130 lbs looking to lose the last 6.5 lbs and you want an easy way to do it, switching your cocktails for club soda w/ lime, your beers for seltzer water, your latte for “black” coffee or green tea and your O.J. for water w/ lemon are some simple yet still pleasurable ways to be social and still enjoy hydrating & meal consumption.

In summary

Drinking caloric beverages or liquid calories is great for weight gain, but bad for for weight loss.

If you want to gain weight, drink liquid calories like smoothies, shakes, juices, alcohol, creamer, half & half, etc…

If you want to lose weight, don’t drink calories & instead drink water or its derivatives (tap, seltzer, mineral, ice, club soda, coffee, green tea …).

Yours living the active life,

Mike Alves

Tate, DF., et. Al. Replacing caloric beverages with water or diet beverages for weight loss in adults: main results of the Choose Healthy Options Consciously Everyday (CHOICE) randomized clinical trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2012; 95(3): 555-63.


1-Leg Dead Lifts: “less sore week my a**!”

“Less sore week my ass!…”  is an email quote I received from Super Client, Alicia, this past Monday following our “…killer Monday workouts…”. Continue reading

Aesop’s Fable: Farmer, Goose, Golden Eggs and Body Transformations


It’s the New Year, a fresh start, a clean slate and a new beginning. It’s a time to reflect, goal set and “resolve”, right? Right!

I have a question for you. Did you get sick after the year-end holidays and/or at the start of this year? I did. And that is very un-Mike Alves-like (yes I just wrote that). Why did I get sick? Because I focused on producing, on what I could do, get done, finish, achieve, etc…and didn’t keep my normal balance. I started living like everyone else and I stopped training like no one else. My immune system suffered and I paid the price.

Since I love the start of a new year for all the reason above and due to my cold, the colds of my clients and my grand writing of the 2012 Change Your Body Boot Camps Macrocycle and programs, I was reminded of Aesop’s Fable, The Goose with the Golden Egg.

The story goes like this,

One day a countryman going to the nest of his goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played on him. But he took it home on second thoughts, and soon found that it was an egg of pure gold.
Every morning the same thing occurred, and he grew rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing.

Moral of the Story: Greed often overreaches itself.

Well…I overreached. I attempted to squeeze out every last ounce of results I could and I didn’t take care of myself the way I normally do. Stephen R. Covey author of the NY Times best seller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, would say that my P/PC balance was off and Aesop would say I was greedy. “P” stands for Production and “PC” stands for Production Capability.

In our wonderful world of bigger, faster, stronger, where many strive for the American Dream, there is a tendency to focus on Production (the Golden Eggs) and neglect Production Capability (the Goose).

If you desire to achieve or produce more and net golden eggs, you also must schedule time to take care of the achiever or producer, the goose, and focus on your production capability.

If you want to get a better job or earn more (Production / Golden Eggs) you often have to work more, acquire more skills & knowledge and/or take on more responsibility (Production Capability / Goose).

If you want to lose weight, lose fat, build muscle, run faster, get stronger, break a personal record, change your body, …stay healthy…, etc…and focus on your production or net golden eggs you have to change the way you think, eat, move, sleep, drink, train, … i.e. you’ll have to change your lifestyle and also focus on your Production Capability and thereby take care of the Goose.

In closing. Life is more exciting when you’re producing something and you can increase the rate, quality AND duration of your production if you not only give focus to your production capability, but prioritize, schedule and DO it. When you take care of the Goose, yourself, you can sustain production of Golden Eggs, your results, for a longer period of time. If you make this a habit, addressing your production capability, and adopt this balanced lifestyle, you’ll reap the rewards over your lifetime.

Imagine all of the Golden Eggs the farmer could have had over his lifetime if he took care of the goose.

Here’s your chance. Take it! I am.

Yours changing lives, including my own,

Mike Alves

p.s. Newton’s #1 Body Transformation Program, Change Your Body Boot Camps is in its 4th year of helping Busy People address their production capability.

p.p.s. If you want to try us out for FREE, apply here:

Change Your Body Boot Camps,
Newton, MA

Newton Personal Trainer
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