To begin the program, each employee was given an extensive bloodwork up.  The tests measured A1-C (diabetes), cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as vitamin and hemoglobin levels. Given my enjoyment of regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and sound health – I assumed that my blood work would come back normal.

Surprise…. It didn’t.  It seems that genetics has fouled me. Due to a father with a history of heart disease, and a mother with high cholesterol… I had an elevated overall cholesterol level, and high LDL levels (that’s the BAD cholesterol).  Our employee health nurse met with me to counsel me on changes that I could make. Here are her recommendations:

1. Cardio at least 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week – I exercise between 30-60 minutes at least 4-5 times a week.
2. Strength train at least 3 times a week – Again, I have this one down.
3. Eat the recommended number of fruit and veggie servings – Um, a quick look at my food journal revealed that my “healthy” eating was falling below the recommended levels.
4. Reduce sodium intake – It was advised that I keep sodium to 1500 mg a day. My food journal showed that I was consuming at least twice those levels. Yikes!
5. Reduce fat intake – I should be taking in 50 grams of fat a day….there were days where I took in nearly double that amount.

With information in hand, I have set out to lower my cholesterol. Here are the things that I am doing:

1. Eating at least 4 vegetables and 2 fruits a day – I have once again started sipping “green smoothies” which allow me to meet this goal first thing in the day. By knowing I have gotten the recommended servings, I do not stress about finding vegetables to eat as catered work lunches, or dinners out with friends.  I am also learning to “sneak” vegetables into other meals. For example, I used squash in my macaroni and cheese, made mashed “cauliflower” instead of potatoes, and am using avocado in place of mayo on my sandwiches.
2. Read the labels on everything – In my ideal world, I would be able to eat items that were not packaged. But between a full time career, time at the gym, family obligations, and attempts to have somewhat of a social life, I often have to rely on pre-packaged foods. However, I am now reading the nutrition labels on those cans/boxes/bags. I zero in fat content, cholesterol levels, and sodium.
3. Making heart smart substitution – I am using olive oil in place of vegetable oil, eating more fish instead of red meat, and swapping whole grains for white grains.

It will be a few months before I will be tested again to see if my diet changes are impacted my cholesterol levels. However, I already feel more energized. My husband commented that my skin seems to glow. Perhaps those small changes are making a bigger impact that I realize.

What about you? Do you know your cholesterol levels? If so, where did you fall? Do you have any other tips for me?

–Kimberly

Here’s what it says on the back:

To win, just comment below.  Do you like dance workouts? Do you do them in classes or with DVDs?  Do you think they are a decent workout or do you save them for light days?

As always, you can continue to comment for one week.  Giveaway is open to anyone in the U.S. or Canada.  I’ll come back next Tuesday (the 14th) and post the winner.  Good luck!

So the winner is commenter #8, Alyssa:

Now all you have to do, Alyssa, is send your address to me at fig[at!]fitfig.com and I’ll get this DVD in the mail to you as soon as I can.

Everyone come back tomorrow to see the next giveaway I’ll be posting–a fun dance DVD!  The winner might have to come here to New York and pry it out of my hands, though….

This DVD is fun and super effective. It contains instructions, a warm-up, a short 12-minute workout, and a longer 40-minute workout. As a Kettlebell novice, I loved the introduction and demonstration segments. Lauren reviews the moves methodically so you can follow along and learn proper form. She also reviews recommended starting weights depending on your level of strength.

After practicing my form and reviewing all of the instructions, I decided to give the 40-minute workout a try. I rotated between a 10 pound or 15 pound bell depending on how challenging the exercise was for my personal strength. It was an excellent workout. In between high-intensity segments there are 60 second rest periods. You can use this time to either relax and get some water or do some light cardio like jumping jacks or running in place. By the middle of the workout, you’ll appreciate the rests!

In reviews I have read, some have complained about Lauren’s personality. She’s very matter-of-fact, but I prefer this approach versus some of those instructors who sound like “woo-hoo” cheerleaders.

I am thrilled to now have some Kettlebell experience and plan on making these workouts a part of my weekly routine. Thanks to Lauren for a great introduction to this fun and interesting strength/cardio combination.

PersonalFitCoach.com is hosting a giveaway of this great DVD. Feel free to stop by to enter.

Our latest giveaway is Denise Austin’s Hot Body Yoga, which I received free from Lionsgate.   This is another DVD that hasn’t even been released yet. It looks like the release is set for September 7th.

Here’s what it says on the back:

Cathe and me at her 2008 Road Trip

We have a winner for our giveaway for the Cathe.com gift certificate.  Here is the choice of the random number generator:

So the winner is commenter #10, Workout Mommy:

Now all you have to do is send your email address to me at fig[at!]fitfig.com and I’ll email the gift certificate to you as soon as I can.

Everyone please come back later today for another giveaway announcement.  For now I have to go put the baby down for a nap and do my own workout for the day!

Fitbit is a little different from the other activity-measuring gizmos. I chose to try it out because it’s only $99, it’s a clip-on apparatus rather than an armband, they say it will work with my Mac, and there are free website tools to use with it (there’s an option for a paid web subscription as well, but it’s not required).  I actually ordered a Go Wear Fit once and had to return it as I could not get the darn thing to work with my Mac.

Now maybe it will be less accurate as it’s not an armband nor 200 bucks, but I’m eager to try it out and see how I like it.  At half the price (or less) of the other products it’s worth a try.  It’s apparently on backorder and won’t be shipped until after September 10th, so I’ll have to wait a while.  I’ll be sure to report here soon after I get it to tell you my initial impressions.

Cathe and me at her 2008 Road Trip

I STILL have a broken toe and not much else to talk about, so we’re going to have another fun giveaway here.  It’s well-known that I’m a big Cathe Friedrich fan and I like to spread the word about her great workouts, so let’s have a Cathe.com $25 gift certicate giveaway.  If you’re interested, just comment below.  Tell us if you already do Cathe’s workouts, if you’re interested in trying one, or if you’ve never heard of her before.  Or maybe you just want to check out the cool equipment they now sell on her website.

I’ll announce a winner next Monday, August 30th.

So the winner is commenter #2, Pinky McLadybits:

Now all you have to do, Pinky, is send your address to me at fig[at!]fitfig.com and I’ll get this DVD in the mail to you as soon as I can.  I’d also like to see that video if you’re really willing to share one with us.  

Come back soon for another giveaway announcement.

I love my exercise shoes (f.y.i.: my favorite brand is Ryka and I usually buy them from Walking Sue on Ebay) but there are times I prefer to work out barefoot.  Obviously I do yoga and Pilates barefoot, and I’ve mentioned before that it annoys me when I do a flexibility-oriented DVD and the instructor and cast are wearing shoes.  I also like doing certain weight workouts without shoes.  I like to do squats either barefoot or with flat shoes like my Chuck Taylors.  But as for cardio–I don’t do much of that barefoot except occasionally with the Wii.  Of course right now everything I do is wearing a stupid giant special shoe for my broken toe.

I would like to try more cardio barefoot. I have yet to get Ellen Barrett’s Barefoot Cardio workout, though I’ve considered it.  Regardless I’ll have to wait until my toe has healed.  As for that, I went to the doc on Monday and got another X-ray.  Still broken.  I have to go back in two weeks to see if it’s healed by then.  Ugh.

So how about you? Do you exercise barefoot or with shoes like the Vibram FiveFingers?  If so, how has it changed your workout or your ability?  The article I referenced above says: “Running without shoes can strengthen your feet, ankles, and lower legs and improve balance.”  Do you find this to be true?  If you haven’t exercised barefoot before, would you like to try it?  (I mean, besides yoga or something like that which most of us already do barefoot.)

Let’s have a poll on this (Note: you can choose more than one answer):

I’m sure I didn’t ask all the right questions, so talk about it in the comments, if you like.