Lowering Your Cholesterol

Eat a heart-healthy diet,

A diet rich in vegetables, fruits, lean meats, poultry and fish as well as low in saturated fats and cholesterol, is a delicious way to help your cholesterol levels.

Be active more days than not, whatever you love just do it, SilverSneakers® can help.

If you smoke, your cholesterol level is another good reason to quit.

Following a healthy lifestyle and diet will help with lowering your cholesterol.

Let our Health Improvement Medical Team get you started on your journey towards a healthy lifestyle.

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

Your arteries carry blood rich in oxygen and nutrients from your heart to the rest of your body. When the arteries in your legs become blocked, your legs do not receive enough blood or oxygen. This results in PAD.

You are more likely to develop PAD as you age. One in 3 people over the age of 70 have PAD. Smoking or having diabetes increases your chances of developing the disease sooner. Other contributing factors to PAD are: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.

You may be experiencing pain or discomfort when you walk. The pain can occur in your hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, shins or upper feet. You may not feel any symptoms from PAD at first. As PAD worsens you may experience pains in your feet and toes even when you are not walking. In severe cases of PAD, you may develop painful sores on your toes or feet. If the circulation in your leg does not improve the sores can become dead tissue (called gangrene).

Your arteries are normally smooth and unobstructed on the inside but, as you age, they can become blocked. A sticky substance called plaque can build up on the walls of your arteries. Plaque is made up of cholesterol, calcium and fibrous tissue. As more plaque builds up, your arteries narrow and stiffen. Eventually enough plaque builds up to reduce blood flow to your leg arteries. When this happens your leg does not receive the oxygen it needs. This is called PAD. It is important to treat this disease not only because it may place you at a greater risk for limb loss but also for having a heart attack or stroke.

There are several things you can do to improve your condition. First and foremost, if you are a smoker-QUIT SMOKING!! Another lifestyle change is to exercise and walk on a regular basis. Walk for at least 30 minutes 3 times a week. If you are overweight you were most likely placed on the triangle diet to improve your condition. In addition to the above you may have been placed on medication to help lower your cholesterol or to control your blood pressure. You may also have been placed
on a medication to reduce blood clotting to minimize the chances of clots blocking your narrowed arteries.

In more severe cases simple lifestyle changes and medication may not be enough to improve your symptoms. In some instances minimal surgical intervention may be required. The choice of treatment depends on the extent of the blockages. If you are in an advanced stage of PAD these options will be discussed with you.

Whether you have been diagnosed as having PAD or not here are some
important and easy ways to stay healthy:

Quit smoking

Lower high LDL cholesterol

Lower high blood pressure

Maintain your ideal body weight

Manage diabetes by maintaining healthy blood sugar levels

Eat foods low in saturated fats and calories

Exercise and walk regularly