Keto and Cholesterol.....

  This weekend, the night skies around our bay displayed all the colors of the Northern Lights. Our little space always provides fantastic views, but the light show was a unique and fabulous treat.  This is my first time seeing this light show, and it's amazing. Then, in honor of Mother's Day, we bought several huge hanging flower baskets, which are beautiful. We get these yearly, and the flowers and colors provide a lovely display. Other than that, we practiced our usual routine. ​Steve and I joke that we are spending our retirement staying as healthy as possible in every way by every means necessary. Of course, sometimes keto increases cholesterol so we combat that with the daily statin smoothie I wrote about in an earlier blog. We'll determine if it's working next month when we get our yearly blood tests. We maintain our blood sugar by avoiding carbs and exercising daily, getting at least thirty-five minutes of cardio. So far, we're succeeding, but we'll know when we go for our regular checkup in early June. We're both anxious about our cholesterol because our numbers were at the top of the normal range, and neither of us want to start taking statins. My cousin had a problem with statins because they depleted her muscles. She told me she was looking like a death camp survivor. She rarely exaggerates about anything, so I'm sure this is factual. She told me her weight dropped to below 100, and when she saw her general practitioner, he also took her off the statin immediately. Her cardiologist prescribed them and monitored her but was unconcerned about her weight loss. It turned out that the statin caused rhabdomyolysis, which is muscle inflammation and eventual wasting caused by statins. The condition can be diagnosed with a blood test measuring creatinine kinase levels. It begins with moderate or severe muscle aches after beginning statin therapy. That's why Steve and I are avoiding statins altogether. We're trying everything possible to reduce our cholesterol naturally. That's why we're having our daily statin smoothie. As a reminder, it contains spinach, almond milk, green tea powder, chia seeds, and hemp hearts. We also take Cholesteroff, an over-the-counter remedy. We hope to get a good report when we return to our GP next month. In the meantime, we'll press ahead with healthy living as long as possible while enjoying our beautiful spaces. We are blessed for sure!