It's Working

I began exercising last year after my physical because my cholesterol level was 203.  At 44, I did not want to go on medication (yes, I had a doctor recommend that, even with only a 203 level).  I decided I would try to lower it by starting a regular exercise routine, mostly because that sounded more appealing than changing my eating habits :-) 

Anyway, I don't have a lot of free time in my day, but I decided that I could squeeze in 30 minutes of exercise each day.  That's all.  Not 60 minutes, not 40 minutes.  30.  That's it.

So, I have consistently been strenuously exercising 30 minutes five or six days a week for the past 10 months or so.  This past week I had my physical and the blood results have come back.....drum roll, please....it's working.

Let's take a look at the numbers, shall we?

Last year my cholesterol was 203.  This year it is....175!  Yippee!  All without changing my eating habits, except for adding a few more nuts to my diet.

But, that's not all!  My blood pressure which has usually been about 121/80 is down to 100/64 and my resting pulse which used to run about 78 is now 61!  I'm just feeling oh so healthy now :-)

The only problem is my hemoglobin and red blood count is a little low :-(  I'm thinking this might be because of my massive tea intake.  Apparently tea has a chemical in it that blocks the absorption of iron.  This usually isn't a problem for most people with average tea consumption, but I drink about 6-8 cups of tea a day.  Hmmm.  Not liking the idea of having to drink less tea. 

So, when you hear me whine and complain about not wanting to go exercise (which I do a lot of), just remind me of why I am doing this, okay?