When Your Life Depends On Getting Into Shape You Better Get Into Shape
I had some news today. Bad news. News that I’ve been putting off hearing my whole life but suspected it may be true.
I have high levels of cholesterol in my blood. Very high levels that will mean a certain death by heart attack or stroke, if i’m not careful.
This year I turn 40, I would say I’m fit but my diet is atrocious. I eat sweets and candy and butter, lots of butter.
I also have the bad cholesterol gene in my family, which means there’s a good chance I have something called Familial hypercholesterolemia which is a defect in Chromosome 19. Essentially meaning I can’t process cholesterol like normal people and i’ll have to go on statins.
There’s a 50% chance I have it. I will be re-tested in 3 months. I want to get my cholesterol down, really down and i’m prepared to be aggressive about it. If I can get it down by doing the below actions I may not have the gene. Chances are I do, but I’m going to do this first:
3 month plan
- I will run 300 miles in 3 months, starting with an 8 mile run tonight to make sure my cardio is on point and I am as lean as I can possibly get.
- I will only eat red meat once per week and trade it for chicken, oily fish and nuts.
- I’ll stock up on good grains, tofu and ditch all fried food
- I will massively up my vegetable intake.
- I will supplements with B16, Niacin and Vitamin C.
- I will cut out all added sugar and white flour.
- I will say goodbye to dairy. Damn I love pizza.
Not only will this ensure I am a lean machine by my next test, it will let me know whether or not any of that makes a difference.
If it does then I may be safe from my family defect. If not then I will approach statins in the best shape of my life.
It’s funny when all of a sudden your mortality becomes an issue. Even though I am not in any real danger right now, both of my grandfathers died young.
I don’t want to die in 15 years, I want a long life. I don’t smoke or drink and care about myself. Maybe my habits don’t reflect that and I am kidding myself that I’m healthy. We are all deluded until reality bites us. Let’s see where I go, at least I’ll be fit again.
