To Your Health November, 2012 (Vol. 06, Issue 11)

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Five Reasons You Should Care About Your Cholesterol

Keeping your cholesterol levels healthy is essential to living a long life. The American Heart Association recommends keeping an eye on the critical numbers of your cholesterol score in order to keep your heart healthy – and lower your chances of getting heart disease or having a stroke.

Cholesterol can be tricky to understand, though, because not all is bad for you. Some is actually good for you. The most important thing you can do as a first step is to know your cholesterol numbers by getting your cholesterol tested. Here are some easy ways for you to understand what the testing involves, how it can help you and ways to improve your health by improving your cholesterol.

• It can determine your risk of stroke - If your cholesterol numbers indicate you have high "bad" cholesterol (LDL) you could be at risk for stroke. Strokes often cause a limit on mobility and can impair your speech. Make sure to check both your "good" cholesterol (HDL) numbers and make sure they are high and that the (LDL) numbers are low.
  


• It indicates what changes you need to make to your diet - Processed foods and junk food can wreak havoc to your overall health , they can also impact your cholesterol. Make sure you watch what you eat in order to keep your cholesterol in check.
  


• It can help you assess your overall health- Cholesterol is a good indication of overall health, it can be a good marker of bad nutrition and not enough exercise. Keep a tab on them to know where you stand.
  


• It can boost your motivation for exercise-If your cholesterol numbers do not show up favorably it can move you to make good changes in your life, it can also move you to incorporate exercise into your schedule.
  


• It can save your life - By knowing these critical numbers you can make sure you do not encounter issues with your heart and can live a longer life, so see your doctor to check your numbers today.