There are actually five different ways to measure for a complete reading on your own cholesterol levels and they are: total, HDL, LDL, total/HDL ratio, LDL/HDL ratio. These measurements are actually categorized as desirable, borderline, and of course, at risk. Measurement units are milligrams per deciliter. It is extremely misleading to consider any of them on their own. Consult your health practitioner to best understand your cholesterol levels and what, if anything, to do about them or how to maintain them properly.

Here is how it really works in the numbers. Total desirable is below 200 mg/dL, total borderline level is 200 to 240 and total risk above level 240. HDL ideal level is above 45 mg/dL, HDL borderline is 35 to 45 and HDL at risk below 35. LDL ideal level is below 130 mg/dL, LDL borderline is 130 to 160 and LDL at risk above 160. Total/HDL ideal ratio is below 4.5, total/HDL borderline is 4.5 to 5.5 and total/HDL at risk is above 5.5. LDL/HDL ideal ratio is below 3, LDL/HDL borderline is 3 to 5 and LDL/HDL and at risk is above 5. Whew! That is a lot of numbers!

What all of that shows is that one very important set of numbers that you will want to bear in mind as you face your own cholesterol levels is that every milligram per deciliter makes a very large difference: with a 10 mg/dL drop in your overall cholesterol comes an approximate 40 percent decrease in risk of heart disease. Isn’t that a good enough reason for you to want to do something about it?

When it comes to actually doing something about your cholesterol levels, a balanced diet, combined with a good fitness regimen is your best bet in combating high cholesterol. You have to be both active and eat right to maintain the right balance. You can look to the my pyramid charts as a means of being sure that your eating habits are balanced. Supplements of vitamins will not be able to compensate for your poor eating. You have to eat whole foods for any of this to be effective, and you must lay off of heavy fatty foods and junk food to keep your cholesterol balanced.

Having a lower cholesterol is very important to our overall health, no matter how old we are or aren’t. This is especially true if we want to avoid having a heart attack or stroke. In order to understand what this means and how to achieve it, we all need to understand a few of the key concepts and terms first. Among the things that we need to know are cholesterol, HDL, LDL, lipoproteins, serum cholesterol, dietary cholesterol, saturated fats, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease.

Cholesterol is basically just  a fat-like substance that is found all through the body. Basically it gets there in one of two ways, either from the body itself or in the foods we eat and put into it. It is a very common, and very important worker bee in the body’s honey comb. Too much of it, however, is not healthy for the body. Too much of it can clog our arteries, block our hearts, and actually threaten to end our lives. More often than not we need to lower cholesterol in our bodies.

There are two kinds of cholesterol that we have, which may be confusing at first. High density lipoprotein is one of them, and it is commonly known as HDL, sometimes it is also called the good cholesterol because it can protect the heart. Low density lipoproteins, which are commonly known as LDL, and are sometimes called the bad cholesterol because it can clog arteries and kill us, is the other. We have both kinds of cholesterol in our bodies and we them need both. The balance between them is critical to our body. It is what helps determine whether a heart is healthy or in dyer need of correction.

The link between cholesterol and heart disease has been established in numerous studies. In Specific, the higher the cholesterol, the greater the risk is of us getting heart disease. It’s really that simple. High cholesterol is common for most people. However the good news is that we can do something about it. We all want lower cholesterol. The hard thing though is that most of us have a hard time to control this.

Do you know that enjoying artworks is also a way to refresh and relieve ourselves from stress. If you already love art, then this is good news. And if you are not usually into arts, then you might as well try to get the feeling first.

There is great gallery of modern art named Sears-Peyton Gallery. This gallery is located on 210 11th Avenue, Suite 802 (between 24th and 25th Streets), New York City. It has so many art collection from great modern artists.

Some example is paintings from Isabel Bigelow that shows nature in bright colours. Or work of arts from Shelley Reed that are dominated by black and white. Sara Eichner has her way in art with her bright colour wonderful patterns. Enjoy those rage of sea with the paintings from MaryBeth Thielhelm. You might prefer those Hudson River paintings by Kathryn Lynch.

Of course there are still so many other collection from other famous artists with different styles. To enjoy personally, you can visit the gallery at 10-6pm Tuesday thru Friday, 11-6pm Saturday
July/August Hours, 10-6pm Tuesday thru Friday, and closed Saturdays and August 18th thru Labor Day.

Enjoy those great artworks.

Life can be boring and depressing. If you want to have enjoyable and entertaining trips with friends, try to come and visit these coastal towns in Scotland and England.  You won’t regret it.

Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city and the chief seaport in the north-east of Scotland. It is commonly referred to variously as “the Granite City”, or the “Silver City” on account of the grey, occasionally sparkling building stone used in older buildings in the city. It has the University of Aberdeen, one of the oldest universities in the UK. Stay at one of the cheap Aberdeen hotels, and enjoy the Aberdeen highlife, with so many classical and modern musical events and theatres.

Brighton is a charming town and famous seaside resort in on the south coast of England. Brighton nightlife is very interesting, since it is probably the gay capital of which adds to the bohemian atmosphere of the city.  Cheap Brighton hotels can be found almost anywhere. Some other interesting places are Brighton Pier that has all the usual seafront arcade attractions, and Brighton Beach, designated nudist beach.

Plymouth, largest city on England’s south coast and the most extensive naval base in western Europe. If you stay at the local cheap Plymouth hotels, you visit this Mayflower Steps, the site where the Pilgrim Fathers departed from, aboard the Mayflower, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to colonize North America. Today boat trips leave from there for tours of Plymouth Sound. Interesting!

Bristol is the largest city in the south of England after London and the largest shipping port in England. Bristol has a lot to offer of its own and is also an excellent base for exploring the West Country, with relatively cheap Bristol hotels compared to some of the main ‘tourist traps’ (such as nearby Bath) and a huge choice of bars, restaurants and shops. It also hosts a wide variety of visual arts, theatre, speciality shopping and live music.

Bournemouth is a seaside resort, famous for its 7 miles of golden sandy beaches and clean pure sea water. It is one of Britain’s most popular clubbing locations, with many stag and hen parties held in Bournemouth. Stay at one of the cheap Bournemouth hotels and enjoy the Bournemouth student nightlife. There are over 40 nightclub venues which are open every day of the week.

When you first try this exercise, you may want to begin by lying on the floor or on your bed. However, if you are tired, you may find that you cannot stay awake and you won’t be able to develop the skill of conscious relaxation. This is a great exercise to help you sleep better at night, but for purposes of developing an awakened sense of relaxation, consider whether lying down works for you or not. If you too easily drift off to sleep, begin by sitting in a chair where you are comfortable and your back is straight and your feet touch the floor.

Loosen any tight clothing, such as your shoes, collar, or belt. Whether you begin by lying on the floor or not, you will eventually graduate to sitting either in a chair or on the floor. The purpose of this technique is to be able to mentally call relaxation to your body anytime, anywhere regardless of where you are or what physical position you find yourself. You are going to scan your entire body, locating tension pockets and relax each area, one area at a time, releasing tension completely. Heres how:

Focus your attention on your breath until your breathing begins to slow and deepen. Keep your mind focused on your breath. You might also conjure some peaceful image as you do this exercise. As you do so, you have already begun to relax.

You attention will first focus on your feet, beginning at the toes. Starting with the toes, wiggle your toes, squeezing and flexing, and then relax and release any tension. Next, rotate the ankles, followed by flexing and pointing the feet. Then relax and release. Move up to the calves and the long muscles of the thighs with your attention, tensing and relaxing until you can let the tension go your feet will fall outward comfortably.

Next, move your attention to your abdomen, midriff and lower back. This is another part of your body that can easily carry excess tension. Tighten your abdominals hold the tension for a count of five, and then release. Do this two more times, releasing tension each time you relax. You may find yourself adjusting the angle of your lower back as you encounter and release tension.

Shoulders and arms are next. Shrug your shoulders, tense and release your arms, clench and release your hands. Do this three times and finally, release all tension and let your arms and shoulders relax. Even as you are relaxing and feeling your tension drain away, remember to continue focusing on your breath. Between each area of focus, draw your attention back to the breath and let all tension leave your body with the out-breath and draw in a sense of relaxation with the in-breath.

Are there any other tense muscles in your head or face or neck? Probably, since this is a major focal point for tension. Focus directly on your facial muscles, opening the mouth and eyes wide three times and then consciously release tension and let your face relax. If you feel tension in your neck, turn your head slowly to the right and then the left a few times and finally, settle the neck to relax. Finally, shift your attention to the very top of your head. Consciously tighten the scalp by lifting your eyebrows and then scrunching them. Do this a few times and when you release and relax the tension, your scalp will relax.

At first you may have to retrace these steps until all regions of your body are relaxed at the same time. Keep at it until you are able to relax completely. By focusing attention and deliberate movement on various areas of the body, you are able to let those muscles to relax.

When you have mastered this method of relaxation, you will have gained control of the tension you are prone to carrying in your body and you will be able to relax at will for the rest of your life. Focusing on your breath, you can maintain this sense of control by simple association. As a result, you can relax even if you are in a room full of people. This is also a great beginning point to begin your meditation.

In time, being able to relax will not take you 15 to 20 minutes, but rather moments. By simply scanning the body with the mind, and focusing on the breath, you will be able to achieve quickly any level of relaxation you desire.

This relaxation is taught by Chesa Keane who has taught meditation and self-help for more than 30 years.

For you who live in Seattle, especially in Fremont neighbourhood, now there is this Seattle language school. This school is a non-profit language school in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. They provide programs for people who want to learn other languages as well as foreigners or new comers who live in Seattle and want to learn more of English as their second language.

Now, more and more people would love to have a chance to learn Italian or other foreign languages, either for hobbies or works. If you are one of them, you can also take advantage of this service and learn Italian in Seattle. Other than Italian, you can also learn French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Chinese, and more. Classes and private tutoring are available in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. It also offers instruction in Latin and Ancient Greek and features a humanities program with classes in world literature in translation.

I think if we want to learn language, this Seattle language school is better than the more commercial ones. So, if you live in Fremont Seattle neighbourhood, or at least not too far from that area, then you are lucky.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is an increasingly prevalent disorder that results from exposure to high-intensity sounds, especially over a long period of time. NIHL is a preventable hearing disorder that affects people of all ages and demographics.

According to a position statement released by the American Academy of Audiology in 2003, the average, otherwise healthy, person will have essentially normal hearing at least up to age 60 if his or her ears are not exposed to high noise levels. Unfortunately, around 30 million adults in the United States are exposed to hazardous sound levels in the workplace. Among these 30 million people, one in four will acquire a permanent hearing loss as result of their occupation. Even though NIHL primarily affects the adult working population, NIHL can be identified in the adolescent and young adult population as well. The incidence of NIHL in young adults is not surprising, due to the popularity of portable music devices (Walkmans and iPods), concerts, and nightclubs within this population.

The good news is that NIHL can easily be prevented through the use of some of the most simple, widely available and economical tools. This includes but is not limited to hearing protection (i.e. earplugs and earmuffs), education, and hearing conservation programs.

Hearing protection is noise reduction devices that still allow users to hear normal conversation and voice, including warning signals, with normal noise rating of around 55 decibels (dB), but block out hazardous noise with too high ratings of above 86 dB.

Now there are several custom hearing protection in the market. Some of them are SonoCostum protection devices from Sonomax, that are made from cured silicone that are custom fit on the spot. These devices are fit in less than 15 minutes and last up to 3 years at a cost which is typically less than half the cost of foam plugs.

Walk 10,000 steps a day. The 10,000 steps program is part of a concentrated effort to encourage Americans to get active and stay fit. According to many recent studies, engaging in moderate exercise three to five times a week can help reduce the risk of heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and arthritis. Coupled with a balanced diet, exercise is the number one way to get healthy and stay healthy.

This message is especially important for those over the age of fifty-five, says the American Heart Association. Because regular exercise helps maintain weight and tone all the body’s systems, it’s one of the keys to avoiding the most common diseases and disorders affecting older Americans.

Among the exercise that the American Physical Therapy Association recommends for seniors are golf, gardening, walking, swimming and jogging. There’s almost no physical activity that you can’t turn into a heart healthy aerobic workout. Choose your sport and try one of these workouts from the American Physical Therapy Association.

Golf

If you haven’t played golf in a while – or if you’re just starting and haven’t been active – start exercising a few weeks before you go into full swing. Take a twenty minute walk three or four times a week. Spend some time practicing your swing, starting with a shorter, lighter club and gradually working your way up.

Gardening

Gardening can give your heart a surprisingly energetic workout. There’s digging and bending and lifting and carrying. To turn a gardening session into a heart healthy workout, the APTA suggests that you start with a series of stretches to help loosen up the muscles. Once you’re warmed up, do some ‘aerobic gardening’ – activities that use your whole body – for 15-20 minutes.

Water Aerobics

Water fitness classes are among the best aerobics exercises you can do, especially if you suffer from joint stiffness or arthritic pain. Because you’re in the water, there’s no impact shock, making water exercises the ideal form of low-impact aerobic exercise. You can get a full workout that includes jumping jacks and all the benefits of cross-country skiing in deep water aerobics – with less than 10% of the stress on your joints. Do take it easy, though, warn many fitness experts. Because exercising in water is so easy, it’s also easy to overdo and strain muscles.

Budget trips can be done more often than costly trips, right?  Which one do you choose, several times a year of budget trips or once every several year costly trips?  If you prefer budget trips, here are some tips on budget trip destination in Britain.

Leeds. Leeds is an extremely attractive city with wonderful Georgian, Victorian, 20th and 21st century architecture. If you’re just visiting the city center, you might as well walk, as much of it is surprisingly compact with most of the major attractions and shops within walking distance of one another. For budget eating, you can go to Brio, a popular Italian restaurant, Cuban Heels, exchange quarter, or Lucky Dragon, an authentic Chinese restaurant. There are also several cheap hotels in Leeds that you can choose from.

Belfast. Situated at the mouth of the River Lagan on Belfast Lough, Belfast is surrounded by low hills. Belfast is now famous for its Black Taxi tours of the city, which are highly recommended. The budget restaurants are Crown Dining Rooms, above the Crown Liquor Saloon, or Little Italy Pizza, the very best (and the cheapest) pizza in Belfast. You can find cheap Belfast hotels almost anywhere.

Cardiff. Cardiff is on the south coast of the south Wales plain, with a shoreline on the Bristol Channel. You can just relax in Bute Park or in the grounds of the castle, and visit Cardiff. For budget eating you can try The Prince of Wales, a great city centre location offering great food all day at some good prices considering its very central location. And for cheap Cardiff hotels, there a lot of choices for you to choose from.

Blackpool. Many come for the two largest attractions, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Tower, although the town features many other smaller attractions including three piers, numerous amusement arcades, seven miles of beaches and pedestrian promenade, and a vibrant nightlife.  As tourist destination, Blackpool hotels are easy to find.

London.  London hosts an outstanding collection of world-class museums. Even better, the majority of the museums have no entrance charges, including Tate Modern, Tate Britain, British Museum, and most museums in Greenwich, thus allowing visitors to make multiple visits with ease. Unfortunately, London is one of the world’s most expensive cities to eat in. However, there are plenty of good-value, even cheap places to eat - you just have to know where to look. For budget accommodation, you have to find some London hotels centre.