Go Fetch Fitness Day 5

On the fifth day of Go Fetch Fitness, we turned the focus from what we can do for the outside of our bodies to what is going on inside. Heidi DuCharme from Allen Hospital's HeartAware program came to the clinic to perform cholesterol and glucose tests for all of the participants who wanted to have a check. Teresa Elverum, an Allen home health nurse came to perform blood pressure checks for everyone as well. Heidi came back to class and explained just what all the numbers meant. She reminded us that the HDL or high density lipoprotein is the good cholesterol that actually helps clean the cholesterol out of our arteries. The bad cholesterol is reflected in the LDL or low density lipoprotein that tends to clog up our arteries. Heidi reminded us that some factors that contribute to high cholesterol are age, gender and genetics. We cannot change these factors, but she also pointed out the factors we can change such as smoking, obesity and poor diet choices. Exercising with your dog qualifies as a cholesterol fighting tool!! It is recommended that we get 45-60 minutes of exercise 5-7 days a week. This can be split into two 25 minute sessions if that works better for your schedule. Increasing your activity level is reported to increase the good cholesterol (HDL).
Heidi had so much information to share, it is impossible to report it all to you today. I encourage you to go to allenhospital.org to take the HeartAware questionnaire and seek out the information on this website or consult with the nurses in this program.
We have many more tremendous speakers that we will be reporting to you about this Go Fetch Fitness season. To extend the quality time that we have with our families - both two legged and four, is the goal of Go Fetch Fitness. Watch for more upcoming articles as we keep you informed about the journey this courageous group is taking together with their furry friends!!
Elizabeth Bixby, DVM