The Art(ery) of Healthy Eating

Sorry if I'm boring you with several recent blogs about health, but once you reach 50 it sort of becomes more important to you. I realized that my mind and spirit are still young, but the old carcass could have me knocking on heaven's door sooner than I want if I don't take better care of it. In the past year I have set my sights on fitting into a stylish dress for Erica's wedding and adding some Victoria's Secret thongs to my underwear drawer. (Haha, just kidding) But now I realize it's time to get serious for better reasons than those.
I inherited my dad's curly hair, his sense of humor, and also, apparently, his genes for high cholesterol. When he died in 1986 he was on blood pressure medication, but cholesterol hadn't yet become the focus of heart health like it has today. The doctors told us that his arteries were so clogged that even with bypass surgery, he would probably have only lived six more months. In 2008 at my annual check-up, my cholesterol was 234. The doctor said we'd give it a year of trying diet and exercise, then check it again. Uh-huh. She obviously gave me more credit than I deserved. At my annual check-up in December, I had lost two whopping pounds, but my blood pressure was borderline high for the first time in my life. I had blood drawn last week, and she called me Saturday to say my cholesterol was at 270 and she wants to start me on medication right away.
Wow. That was the shock I needed to really give this some thought. I know millions of people take something for cholesterol, but it's scary to know that it's programmed into your genetic code. Thin people, others who exercise all the time, people who never touch a piece of cake or a Friday night Wisconsin fish fry--they can all keel over from arteries that are blocked by plaque just because the tendency has been passed down through their families. So if people who are consciously trying to overcome the cholesterol curse still die young, where does that leave me?!
Here's my public proclamation: I'm going to continue walking the dogs 5-6 times a week; I'll "do Richard" at least 3 times/week; no more baking goodies whenever the urge strikes; lots of fruits, vegetables...and isn't red wine in mass quantities allowed, too??!
I'll report back in three months when my numbers get checked again and let you know how I'm doing with the medication. And in the meantime, if you suspect you might have heart attack potential yourself--find out and do something!! The good may die young, but I don't want to be one of them.