The Problem With Statins by David Diamond

Side effects of statins include brain fog, joint pain, kidney injury, impaired liver function, heart failure, and even dementia. We have been told that statins improve heart health by lowering cholesterol. But it turns out that most of the information we’ve been given has been based on deceptive statistics.

David Diamond, a neuroscientist with a PhD in biology, has done a deep dive on the subject, since he himself was prescribed statins many years ago. He came to realize that there is a false narrative surrounding cholesterol and heart health. And that the data for studies showing the “efficacy of statins” has been manipulated to show favorable outcomes. Today he reviews the data and uncovers the truth about the problem with statins. He also offers a number of ideas for what to do instead of taking these increasingly popular prescription medications.

The ratio of HDL is important. It’s called good cholesterol because, in general, higher HDL is associated with better health but what’s important for readers is higher HDL is also a source associated with overall better metabolic health. People who exercise, don’t smoke and have low blood sugar also have higher HDL. There’s nothing magical about HDL. It’s simply a marker of good health.

In a sense, triglycerides are important. Triglycerides are fats that are in your blood. That’s how fat is stored. You don’t want too many triglycerides in your blood because when triglycerides go high, your blood gets thicker. Ultimately, when you’re measuring the two, the HDL number should be about the same as the triglyceride number. If your HDL is 60 or 70 and your triglyceride is 60 or 70, that’s an optimal ratio. That tells you that you have good health.

A Harvard-led study finds for the maximum benefit of mortality reduction, do 300-600 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. You bring the energy and time, Anastasia Fitness will give you 5-10 hours of activity ideas.

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I am a wife and mom and I've survived diabetic retinopathy, menopause, empty nest, and life's curve balls, and run two thriving businesses, all while reaching my own health goals.

Now a certified health coach and personal trainer, I’ve spent the last 6 years helping busy women like you overcome obstacles with diabetes and avoid health complications.

Does the fear of pain or further injury impact your fitness goals? When we fear something will cause us pain, we avoid it. This can prevent us from getting the exercise we need. Use a trainer that understands……

One of the most practical life skills that no one talks about is turning discipline into consistency. Discipline will only take you so far. It’s hard to be consistently disciplined.

Relying on discipline to do what you know you should do requires a lot of effort. But what if you could take that discipline and turn it into something that happens without much effort?

Consider my twelve-year-old son who has about an hour of homework a night with his Grade 7 class. If we relied on discipline to get that homework done, it would be a mess. Sure, some nights it would be easy but other nights it wouldn’t. I can almost hear the excuses now. “Dad, I don’t feel like doing it now. I’ll do it later.” In the end, what he did would depend on how he felt.

Doing things when you feel like doing them won’t get you the results you want. If you don’t feel like doing your job, you get fired. If you give it 50% because you don’t feel like practicing, you sit on the bench while other kids play in the game. If you don’t feel like studying, you get a crappy mark. That’s not to say that feelings are not important — they are — but they're also a luxury when it comes to doing things.

The most successful people consistently do the thing they’re great at. They do it on easy days and they do it on hard days. They do it when they feel like it and when they don’t. Only what I’ve learned is that they’re not more disciplined than you or I. So how do they do it? The answer is they create a ritual.

The power of rituals can be easy to overlook because they seem so simple. Rituals include habits, systems, and even group traditions.

Once started, rituals are hard to stop. Think of rituals as anything structured that creates inertia. Not all inertia is positive. Your rituals can work for you or against you. And their mechanical neutrality is key to using them to your advantage.

Instead of relying on motivation to do homework, we started a ritual after school. Come home, shower, get a snack, and start your homework. As the days turn to weeks the structure takes hold and becomes the path of least resistance. Now, he consistently does homework every day, even when he doesn’t feel like it. The ritual took over.

What looks like skill is often just consistency. While you can’t snap your fingers and become more talented, you can create your own talent. Consistency creates talent. And you won’t be consistent if you only do things when you feel like it.

When people seem uncommonly disciplined, look for a powerful ritual hiding in plain sight. It’s not that they have more discipline than you or I, but they were able to turn that discipline into consistency with a ritual. Short-term results come from intensity but long-term results come from consistency. Turning intensity into consistency unlocks a powerful asymmetry.

Discuss places around town that you can join Anastasia Fitness for yoga and some comments from Men’s Journal about food, especially our favorite the lovable egg.