BACON IN MODERATION

My dad and I have an agreement.  I tell him what to do and he doesn’t listen.  He tells me he’s just paying me back for my bad behavior as a child,  the tables have turned, and it will only get worse.  One of the things I harp on him about is his cholesterol.  What is cholesterol?  Globs of fat.  Cholesterol is a fat-like substance made in the liver and is found in certain foods-such as from animals (dairy products, eggs, and meats).  With his nutritious diet of buttermilk, tubs of butter, whole milk, bacon, roast beast, pork rinds, cottage cheese, and bar-b-que potato chips (he likes the marshmallow sugar coated peeps as well) you can imagine these healthy food choices go a long way to reducing his cholesterol and overall risk for heart disease.

Just like our stubbornness, Dad and I both inherit a tendency toward high cholesterol in our family so it was only natural I had to nag him for two years to have his cholesterol checked (this blood test is called a lipid panel).  While I like to toss back the bacon once in awhile and pound down a Big Mac on occasion, it has never occurred to me to have my own lipid panel drawn.  Since he had his checked I decided I better be a good role model for him and have mine done. 

Brief explanation here.  You have two types of fat globs rolling around in your body.  High Density Lipids (HDL) which is the “good fat.”  HDL carries the “bad fat” which is Low Density Lipids (LDL) back to the liver, essentially cleaning out the pipes that carry your blood “to and fro” around in your body.  The US Department of Health and Human Services provides guidance on how much circulating buttermilk, lipids we should have in our veins:

National                                                 Dad’s Cholesterol                             Tova’s Cholesterol

Recommendations                              (on cholesterol pills)                   (not on cholesterol pills)

Total Cholesterol: (mg/dL)
Desirable:   less than 200	184
Borderline high:  200-239		211
High:  240 and above
HDL:  Needs to be above 40!!!	34	62
LDL: (mg/dL)
Optimal:  less than 100
Near Optimal:  100-129	116
Borderline High:  130-159		130
High:  160-189
Very High:  190 and above

So what does this mean?  Does my buttermilk drinkin’, bacon eatin' dad have better cholesterol than I do?  Nope!  An HDL cholesterol of less than 40 mg/dL is a major risk factor for heart disease.  And we also have to consider ratios (bad LDL versus good HDL).  I have more HDL carrying my bad fat globs to back to my liver than my dad does.  He might have less LDL fat globs than I do, but I almost double him on good cholesterol.  Plus…he has to be on medicine to keep his cholesterol where it is at!!!  I just have to increase my mileage running and keep eating rabbit food!  (FYI:  My dad consented to me making an example of him and supports the contents of this e-mail.  He also may have demanded a tub of cottage cheese and a bag of chips but I pretended to not hear him.)

What can you do to keep your total cholesterol under 200?

·      Get your cholesterol checked by your healthcare provider at least once every five years.  Start at age 20.

·       Eat less than 300mg of dietary cholesterol a day.  Low in saturated and trans fat.

·       Exercise regularly.  What does this mean?  Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity at least four times a week.

·       Quit smoking!  Check out http://tobaccofree.mt.gov/quitlinefactsheet.shtml

These strategies won’t just help with lowering your cholesterol.  They will decrease your risk for heart disease and other preventable illnesses.

This picture is my Dad and Gramma and me...all smiling because we like bacon.  And we all have high cholesterol:

Bacon and buttermilk in moderation...

Magical Powers

I talked my brother Jake into running the Snow Joke Half Marathon with me in February.  Preparation included  putting in the time for three months of training (despite freezing temperatures, snow storms and muscling through aches and pains).  I even went so far as to sacrifice myself by acting as his human shield against cars, trucks, deer, and elk.  He would show up to run with me Saturday mornings dressed out in black, two hours before the sun would show itself-with not a single thread of reflective gear on him.  He would tell you that me guarding his body made sense since I was the one that was smart enough to wear reflective gear.  “Tova.  You are the brains.  I am the beauty.  Protect me with your reflective coat so I can continue to live and raise your nephews like men and not babies.”    

Race day came.  With snow and wind whipping around us, we set out to run 13.1 miles on ice and snow packed roads.  When I was having to bribe Jake with adult beverages at the finish line by mile marker two…I knew he was going to have a tough go of things.  Naturally, I picked up the pace and left him to fend for himself but not after I encouragingly declared, “You got this.”  I almost felt guilty until I started to remember all the Saturday mornings I protected him from getting ran over.  It was broad daylight.  He had two aid stations that could take care of him.  He could survive.    

I made my way mile by mile and with relative ease until I came upon the evilness of mile 11.  Even if I am having an awesome run this mile marker plagues me.  Sometimes I get sick, sometimes I hallucinate, but usually I just cry like a baby for my mama, and beg for someone to have mercy on my soul who will carry me to the end of the run.  It’s not just 11.  Mile markers 19-21, 27, 36-38, 46, and 52-54 are all difficult to power through as well.  Overall, I had a pretty good race and totally smoked my little brother.  But the happiness from my triumph was short lived once he came through the finish line and told me he puked not just once, but three times!  Jake gutted it out, and despite all the discomfort he experienced, he continued to put one foot in front of the other until he reached the finish line.  I was so proud of him.    

While I ran I had a few songs I kept playing over and over and over.  One was called Remember the Name and the chorus is as follows:  “It’s 10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name.” The song isn’t about running-but it is about someone who works.  Hard.  And it isn’t easy.  To others it looks like the qualities of greatness come naturally.     

Some look at me and think I am a nutter for running long distance.  Others feel I have magical powers and my ability makes me strong.  Probably a little of both…but refer to the song above-nothing is as easy as it looks.  There are things out there you all do every day that I couldn’t.  So who has magical powers?  You.  Everyone is running their own race.  Perhaps the kind of race you are in is a little different from the ones I run.   Maybe it is cancer, divorce, mental illness…maybe the race you are running involves making it through the work week while you keep it all together. 

Whatever race you are running, hang in there.  An aid station is coming up and you can get a drink of water.  Soon, the finish line will be in sight.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other...you got this.