Maintain Healthy Cholesterol Levels

Appropriate and correct knowledge about various factors that increase cholesterol levels is essential to maintain normal cholesterol levels at all times, which are anywhere between 200 and 239 mg/dl.

You can keep high cholesterol in check, once you know the factors that induce high cholesterol production in your body. Given below are a few factors, which can be controlled by us to reduce our cholesterol.

Diet - Saturated fats in your diet makes the levels higher. By reducing these fats you will be able to manage the cholesterol in your food.
Weight - Overweight, as we all know can be the cause of a lot of ailments. Try and lose weight to stay fit. Proportionate weight loss increases HDL and decreases LDL.
Physical Activity - 30 minutes of moderate exercises are essential and also helps in losing weight.

The following factors also have a bearing on our cholesterol levels, however, they cannot be controlled by us.

Age and Gender - As we grow old, the levels increase. Also, women generally have lower levels than men and after menopause, a woman's LDL tends to increase.
Heredity - The genes you inherit can have a major effect on you. If you have a family history of heart diseases, which are caused by cholesterol, take necessary precautions to be safe.

A desired cholesterol ratio is 3.5:1, but, maintaining a cholesterol ratio of anything less than 5:1 is also advisable. HDL levels of at least 60 mg/dl or higher will definitely benefit the heart.

Maintaining Healthy Cholesterol Levels

You need to prioritize and try to include exercises in your daily routine. Exercising always helps; climbing stairs, biking, and swimming are some of the activities that can help maintain normal cholesterol levels. Many doctors suggest that burning calories increases metabolism and being active helps you stay fit.

Another thing that can help control your cholesterol is a stress-free mind. Try and pursue a hobby or an activity that you enjoy. It'll take your mind off all the tensions and worries and help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Osteoarthritis Disability - How to Cope

Osteoarthritis disability is frustrating and painful.

Although it originally starts with mild pain and some difficulty of movement, eventually you might end up not being able to do many things you were able to do before.

You might not be able to take long walks, or go jogging anymore when your knee is involved. If you enjoy knitting and crocheting it might get too painful to do it for any amount of time if at all. You don't lose the capability of doing things suddenly, overnight. It creeps up on you gradually.

There are different ways to cope with arthritis:

see a physiotherapist who can teach you how to cope and show you ways how to relieve the pain
use a heating pad on the affected joint to relieve the pain somewhat
wear a brace on the affected joint
try some arthritis creams and see if any help
take natural pain relief products
keep your sense of humor

Family and friends will be very sympathetic and helpful when you really have an arthritis disability. Don't be a "me do" person. Let me explain what a "me do" person is. It's a person who cannot accept help gracefully. They feel they need to do things themselves. and they're taking away the opportunity to have somebody else feel good about him/herself. Soon people will stop offering help because you have refused to be helped.

And then there are the people who will demand help, even for things they could do for themselves. They'll complain constantly and make sure they are not the only ones "suffering". Everybody around them has to suffer along with them.

It's all a matter of attitude. Besides, they are not the only ones that have an osteoarthritis disability. People tend to start avoiding other people that complain and whine constantly.

Your disability is only as severe as you decide it to be. You have to learn to balance things. Be gracious and let people help you when they sincerely offer it. But don't be demanding and expect people to do everything for you.

Tips to Help You Maintain Good Health

As we all start to get a little bit older, we begin to realize that maintaining good health becomes more and more of a priority and less of an indulgence. Why? The easiest answer is that as advances and improvements in medicine occur, our quality of life begins to improve. And with that, our lifespans are also positively affected and they get increasingly longer. That's great news for all of us! We're living longer so we get to enjoy our friends, families and hobbies longer.

But the trick to this hinges on one small thing- our health. Living longer is great but if it's not done with good health, then we start to question the effectiveness or necessity of better medicine. The good news is that it is not difficult to make the shifts needed to improve and also maintain your good health. Here are the top 10 ways to help you maintain your good health:

1. Get plenty of quality, restful sleep. Most adults need a minimum of 7-8 hours of sleep but some feel rested on as few as 6 hours while others will require 9 hours. The number of hours is important but not as critical as the time you go to bed. Every hour of sleep before 12 midnight is worth twice that of each hour past midnight. You will feel a big difference if you sleep from 10 pm to 6 am versus if you sleep from 12 am to 8 am.

2. Drink plenty of clean water. Water is critical for the healthy functioning of our bodies and is intimately involved with every single organ and every single process of our bodies. Without it, our bodies will become sluggish and slow both inside and out. Aim for at least 10 full glasses of water a day, more if you plan on drinking caffeinated beverages or plan on being outside in warm or hot weather.

3. Engage in some kind of exercise or movement based activity that gets your heart pumping. Cardiovascular exercise as well as strength training of any kind is a necessary factor in maintaining health as it keeps the body strong, fit and flexible to take on any challenges you throw at it. Aim for a grand total of 30 minutes minimum of exercise each day, either in one bout or spread throughout the day.

4. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Be creative, use variety and find a way to add these nutritional powerhouses into every meal. They are nutrient dense, minimalist on the calories and are full of flavor as well as fiber. Focus on the dark, leafy greens especially for heart health, digestive system fluidity and for plentiful energy.

5. Find and eat an adequate amount of protein, leaving room for that protein source to fit into your lifestyle goals and physical needs. Decide for yourself if you need animal or non-animal sources of protein or both. Most active adults need about 45-60 grams of protein per day. This will change dependent on activity level as well as age itself. Picture one egg, that's approximately 16 grams of protein. A half cup of beans, about 7 grams of protein.

6. Maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. Healthy relationships will improve your quality of life in a big way. You will know that they are healthy if you feel encouraged, supported and loved as opposed to beaten down, exhausted or emotionally drained. Decide for yourself if someone or something should remain in your life and in what capacity it will be in.

7. Have something to live for, something that helps you to feel alive, vital and a part of something bigger than yourself. This could be a career, volunteer work, your spirituality, your creativity, absolutely anything. You could be active in sports, games, in your family, whatever it takes for you to feel needed, special and valuable.

8. Go to the doctor. Get regular check-ups. Just do it. Know what you're dealing with and allow yourself to be proactive.

9. Leave space for forgiveness, not only for others but also for yourself. The fastest way to let yourself become unhealthy or to feel not quite yourself is to wallow in feelings of sadness, anger, despair and pity. Let yourself be human, allow space for mistakes- yours and others- and be strong enough to let go.

10. Fill your fun quota every day to overflowing. Use that fun as a way to do something purely for yourself, to cut down on stress and create memories that you'll look back on with fondness.

It may seem like being healthy is a daunting task but in reality, it's just about being alive every single day. It's about being fully alive in every moment and doing the things that make your body feel good, make your heart feel alive and make you feel grateful every moment of every single day.

Maintain Your Oral Health by Going to the Dentist

Many people really dislike going to the dentist. This is in part due to the fear of pain from needles. However, to maintain good oral health, going to the dentist is something we have to do. If you do not maintain your teeth, you will likely have some serious oral health issues in the future.

Today many of the processed foods we eat are filled with sugar, fructose, and fat. We are also big consumers of carbonated beverages. All of these foods can affect the teeth by damaging the tooth's enamel and wearing away the tooth. When you go to the dentist every six months, you are taking precautions to assist your gums and teeth to stay in good health. A dentist will thoroughly exam each tooth and your gums to look for such problems as cavities and gum disease. The dentist has sophisticated equipment and tools to thoroughly clean your teeth and remove plaque and tartar which is a big factor in the cause of gum disease and cavities.

If you do not maintain your teeth and have regular visits to the dentist, it's possible that you will eventually develop cavities, which will have to be treated so that they do not develop into further problems, which could result in an unpleasant treatment called root canal. As well, cavities that are left untreated could result in tooth loss. When a tooth is unhealthy, infection can develop causing gum disease, which can also lead to tooth loss. As well, the infection can enter the blood stream making you sick and it can in severe cases even possibly cause heart problems. Scientists in the dental community are researching a genetic link between periodontitis and heart disease through Chromosome 9.

The build up of plaque can lead to the development of empty spaces around your teeth. These spaces can eventually result in the deterioration and destruction of the bone that supports the teeth which can cause tooth loss. When you go to the dentist, you could have an X -Ray that will identify any cavities not visible to the naked eye. A dentist can also assist with identifying such serious conditions as oral cancer.

Dentists realize that fear is a reason why many people avoid going to the dentist. Fortunately, dentists have options to make the dental visit much less stressful. For instance, some dentists have special anesthetics that numb the gums before they put the needle in the tissue. Some people can request to take a sedative before the dentists' procedures to help them remain calm during the appointment if that option is available. If you are afraid of going to the visit, it is important to inform the dentist so that he or she can take measures to relieve your anxieties.