Off season workouts / cardio health

Off Season
I'm committed to taking the rest of the month off from the track, probably my longest break from running in about 4 years, and it'll be about 7 weeks.

In the mean time, I'm doing Stairmaster and Concept 2 rower.  Usually the 20 min hill program on the Stairmaster (level 16), then some weights... focusing on the upper body, core, hip flexors, abductors, etc... and other areas I've trained less on during the season.  Then I do a 2000m set on the rower in 8:40ish.   Not a killer workout by any means, just enough to stay somewhat fit and burn some calories.  I can get this done in 45 min or so.  This is a workout easy enough to do daily when I can.

Lipids
After the season ended on 8/11, I binged a bit on stuff I normally don't eat.  Toast and butter, a few pastries, pizza.   After cleaning up my act for a few days and having the customary fast, I did a lipid profile blood test and it came back borderline high, thanks much to a family history of high cholesterol.   My total was 218, LDL (bad cholesterol) 135,  HDL (good cholesterol) 51, triglycerides 118.   My LDL has always been too high for comfort... ranging from 99 to 140 in the past several yrs and my ratio of 4.27 is above the optimal although better than average.

I dislike these comparisons to 'average'.  They are meaningless and because the 'average' in America is in such poor health, I don't want to be any part or close to average.

My doctor has given me an option to have a cardiac CT scan for a risk assessment.  This will yield a 'calcium computed tomography score.'   I'm surprised that a lot of health professionals I talked to about this test didn't even know what it was.  It's not particularly reliable as it often gives false positives and negatives.  Positives such as indicating 'severe' when it's not really severe - as in the case of my father's test where he received a sky high severe level score of 1800+ but a cardiac catheterization revealed only moderate blockage (50%).  Any score over 400 is considered high risk.  False negatives result when soft plaque goes undetected.  Also, there is a cancer risk of just having the chest radiated ... and I've had a fair amount of xrays in the past 7 yrs.

I probably will go through with the the test just to see where I stand ... approximately.   My doc is sort of pushing me to go on statin medication and I am NOT interested in doing that, as I have read it is not conducive to athletic training, may damage the liver, cause muscle soreness, susceptibility for muscle/ tendon damage, hurt recovery, impair aerobic conditioning, etc...!  One physician friend told me that the long term benefits of life extension use of statin drugs was mixed and inconclusive.   Plus, once you commit to using statins, just getting off them increases risk, so better to not start.

Partly due to aging, the risk factors increase.  My risk assessment with the same numbers was significantly less if you were to make the same calculations for a 51 yr old instead of a 57 yr old.

Borderline high cholesterol is a risk factor, doesn't mean I am diseased, or at least not terribly.   I have worked tremendously hard as an athlete, have excellent blood pressure for a 57 yr old (usually 116/60 in the mornings) and good resting pulse (in the 50s in the mornings).  So, I think I can improve these lipid numbers with other means than drugs.  I seriously detest the mentality that one can achieve license to indulge in a gluttonous lazy lifestyle by taking a pill.  Also, that you can 'eat your way to perfect health' by being a vegan... or train as an athlete to impeccable health.   I'm pretty certain there is more to it, especially heredity and genes, but the number one priority is to at least know where you stand with medical tests and assessments.  Otherwise, you're living in self indulgent ignorance - risky behavior - especially if you know your parents, uncles, aunts, had/have heart disease or cancer.  Nothing is for certain.  I'm reminded that life is fragile as a few friends have recently had bouts of severe cancer when they seemed to be living very healthy lifestyles and seemed to be low risk.  Risk is something that you shouldn't guess at.  Your life depends on it.

All that said, I've been a near vegetarian for most of my adult life.  Still haven't eaten beef or pork in 26 years.  Been vegan, mostly vegan + fish, recently vegan + fish and occasional poultry.

I'm ok with a challenge.  If I have to take statins sometime in my life, I hope to put it off for at least a decade or more.  I have consulted with friends, some in the medical field, who have successfully lowered their lipid numbers with lifestyle.  Some of these diet recommendations may seem odd and unproven, but they've worked for some people.   Here are some of their suggestions:

Exercise:
When not training, spend off days doing stuff on the feet, home projects, walks, bike rides, etc..

Diet:
Eliminate -

- all dairy except low or non fat products
- off season binges

- fried food 

 Add -

- oat bran cereal with ground flax
- niacin supplements
- plant sterol and stanol supplements
- replace butter with olive oil or Benecol
- pickled foods or apple cider vinegar
- maybe an occasional glass of wine 

Next lipid test won't be until beginning of Feb. '18.   CT scan this week unless I chicken out.   We'll see how it goes.  I'm always good for a challenge.