Credit card companies have all kinds of sneaky little (legal – ugh!) tricks to separate you from your money. Be on the lookout for these traps!
Always pay your bills on time. Avoid the late fees and the interest rate increases. Yes. They can increase your rate (and shorten your grace period) if you don’t pay on time. Every single month.
Never go over your credit limit. Don’t even get close.
Understand the fine print. Yes, you have to read it. It’s teeny-tiny to discourage you, and to hide things from you. If you don’t understand it, ask your banker to explain it.
Always know the interest rate they’re charging you. They can raise it at any time. And they do.
Never use cash advance. It has a much higher rate!
Don’t accept free gifts. They aren’t really free.
Never just pay the minimum. The average minimum payment on a $10,000 balance will take 608 months (that’s 50 years and 8 months) to pay off, and cost you an additional $24,995.78, just in interest.
When you have to make a tough decision, allow 36 hours to pass before choosing which way to go.
It’s amazing how much clearer your perspective can be after such a short time. Thirty-six hours seems to be the magic amount of time for being able to assess a situation without having your feelings overwhelm you.
We’ve been talking about cholesterol numbers – here and here. To improve your cholesterol profile, try the following:
Lose weight. Even a modest amount of weight loss can lower cholesterol levels.
Reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat. Saturated fat comes from animal sources – meat, eggs, dairy. And of course, all their derivatives found in processed foods.
Avoid trans-fats, which reduce HDL (happy, healthy) levels and raise LDL (lousy, loser) levels. If you find “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” listed in the ingredients, put that item back on the shelf and look for something else.
Don’t smoke. Smoking is a risk factor for heart disease all by itself, but can also significantly lower HDL cholesterol.
Relax. Emotional stress may trigger the body to release fat into the bloodstream, raising cholesterol levels. Try yoga, meditation, contemplative prayer, or tai chi.
Eat 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of nuts every day. Nuts, especially almonds, walnuts and cashews, contain heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
Substitute soy protein for animal protein. The protein in soy foods has been shown to lower cholesterol levels. Choose the less-processed forms of soy, such as tofu, tempeh, whole soy beans (edamame), and roasted soy nuts.
Season your food with fresh garlic. Garlic has been shown to lower both cholesterol levels and blood pressure – and it tastes wonderful, too. Use one or two raw or lightly cooked cloves a day.
Eat high-fiber foods, such as beans and lentils, apples, citrus fruits, oats, barley, peas, carrots and ground flax seed.
Cut out the white foods – foods based on sugar and flour. A diet full of cookies, cakes, crackers, fluffy breads, chips and sodas can increase triglyceride levels and lower HDL.
Take a high-quality fish oil supplement. Fish oil contains an abundance of essential fatty acids known as omega-3s. Daily fish oil is an effective preventive strategy against heart disease, and has been shown to lower triglyceride levels, minimize inflammation and clotting, and increase HDL cholesterol.
This is a great meal for the day you shop at the farmer’s market!
Make raw, steamed, or grilled vegetables in a salad, lightly dressed with a non-dairy dressing.
You can also make a big plate of lightly steamed veggies in as many different colors as you can.
How about a big bowl of soup? If it’s really hot where you are, make a chilled soup.
You can even make a good old-fashioned baked potato (or baked sweet potato) topped with salsa or checca (chopped tomato, onion, garlic, and a little olive oil).
Tomorrow morning, you will feel light, clean, and rarin’ to go (literally!).
What better way to honor your dad than by devoting the entire day to improving his health?
Start the day by sharing a fun, healthy activity, like going for a walk, swim, or bike ride. Play tennis or golf. Play basketball. Get out the yard games, like croquet, badminton, horseshoes, and bocce ball. Involve the whole family!
Then make a healthy, great-tasting meal to honor your dad. Check Healthy Holidays for delicious recipes like Barbeque Chicken with Homemade Sauce, Asian Grilled Salmon, Orzo with Roasted Vegetables, Four-Bean Salad, Sweet Potato Chips, Baked Garlic Fries, and Double-Trouble Chocolate Bundt Cake.
There are four numbers that doctors look at when they check your cholesterol. We looked at the total blood cholesterol in part 1. Today we’ll look at the other three numbers – LDL, HDL, and triglycerides. These numbers all measure how much cholesterol is in your bloodstream at the time of the blood test.
First the LDL and HDL.
Cholesterol is carried through the bloodstream attached to two different compounds called lipoproteins: low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL).
You can think of LDL as the “lousy, loser” cholesterol. It carries cholesterol from the liver throughout the body, making it available and potentially allowing it to be deposited in artery walls. LDL also picks up other substances that can accumulate in the walls of arteries to form “plaque.” Over time, plaque builds up, and the arteries narrow and harden. The rough surface of plaque can also provide a site for blood to clot, sometimes completely blocking an artery.
For people at risk for heart disease, an LDL level of under 100 mg/dl is the current government recommendation. In general, the lower this number is, the better off you are.*
You can think of HDL as the “happy, healthy” cholesterol. It picks up cholesterol from the blood and delivers it to cells that use it, or back to the liver to be recycled or eliminated from the body. It’s doing the hard work of keeping your body clean and healthy.
According to new guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program, HDL levels of 60 mg/dl or above are classified as high and considered protective against heart disease, while levels below 40 mg/dl are classified as low and are associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease.*
Both HDL and LDL levels are influenced by heredity, diet, weight, exercise, age, gender, alcohol consumption, and stress.
And now the triglycerides.
Triglycerides are the chemical form in which fat moves through the bloodstream to your body’s tissues. They are neither good nor bad.
Triglycerides are derived from fats in your diet and are also made in the body from other energy sources such as carbohydrates. When calories you consume are not used immediately, they are converted to triglycerides and stored in fat cells. Hormones then regulate their release to meet energy needs.
Levels lower than 150 mg/dL are considered normal and levels above 200 mg/dL are considered too high.*
High triglyceride levels can be genetic, but dietary influences are strong. Carbs are the main factor affecting triglyceride levels in the blood – but that doesn’t mean carbs should be avoided. Instead, eat high-fiber carbs like whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and fruits. Avoid the “white” foods and processed foods. Does this sound familiar? Check out Marilu’s Total Health Makeover!
High triglyceride levels usually partner with low HDL cholesterol. They also come with an “apple” shape (more weight around the middle), a tendency toward high blood pressure, and a higher risk for type 2 diabetes.
Focusing only on cholesterol levels may hide other heart disease risk factors, such as lack of fitness, chronic stress, smoking, inflammation, poor diet, and diabetes. The best approach to heart health is to monitor and manage all of these risk factors.Join Marilu.com and get the program, the coaching, and the community to help you succeed in improving your total health!
*These numbers are generalizations, and what is “good” or “bad” for you may be different. Ask your health care provider to explain your numbers when you get your cholesterol test results.
Give yourself a manicure at home. It’s easy; it’s budget-friendly; and if you invite some friends, it’s a party!
Remove any old polish. For natural nails, use a non-acetone remover. Cotton balls work better than tissues.
File your nails to desired shape. Try a shortish nail, straight across the top with rounded edges. File your nails in one direction starting at the edges and moving toward the top.
Soak your hands in warm (not hot) soapy water for 4-5 minutes to soften cuticles.
Dot some olive oil (or almond oil or jojoba oil) on the cuticles and rub in.
Use an orange wood stick or popsicle stick to push back cuticles. Don’t cut your cuticles, which can cause infection and damage the nail.
Exfoliate your hands with a body scrub or mixture of olive oil and kosher salt or raw sugar. Scrub for two to three minutes, then wash thoroughly.
Massage your hands with shea butter cream, or another favorite hand cream or lotion. Use the thumb and first finger of one hand to massage each finger of the other hand, starting at the base of the finger and massaging out toward the tip.
Wipe your nails with a damp cloth to remove excess oils.
Apply a base coat and allow it to dry for 1-2 minutes.
Apply two thin coats of your favorite color, allowing them to dry between coats. Always apply polish by starting on the side of the nail. You should be able to cover the nail in three stokes, one on each side and one in the middle.
Apply a top coat and allow it to dry. Quick-dry top coats usually chip faster, so if you want your manicure to last longer, use a regular top coat.
Need a shorter routine?
Remove old polish, use olive oil on your cuticles, and massage lotion into your hands.
Need easy maintenance?
Choose a light color for the polish.
It contributes to the formation of many essential compounds, including vitamin D, bile acid, estrogen, and testosterone.
Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver of every animal. Including you.
Your body has it’s own “natural” level of cholesterol, which is completely unrelated to your diet.
Your diet can increase your cholesterol numbers if you eat lots of animal-based foods. Your diet can reduce your cholesterol numbers, too – eating a plant-based diet with little or no animal fat will bring your cholesterol numbers back to their “natural” (non-diet-related) level.
Cholesterol is measured with a blood test. The total blood cholesterol is the amount of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream. Total blood cholesterol consists of the HDL, LDL, and triglyceride measures. More on those in the next few days.
Total blood cholesterol offers a direct correlation to how much plaque has been deposited in your arteries. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, fat, and other debris in the body. It sticks to artery walls, and the more that’s there, the more gets stuck to it.
Nutrients that will help lower cholesterol include lecithin (from soybeans and other legumes), vitamin C (from citrus fruits, peppers, and cabbage), vitamin E (from unprocessed grains), and niacin (from unprocessed grains like rye, oats, and quinoa). Plant fiber (from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes) helps reduce the fat in the blood.
