The Testing Your Doctor Doesn’t Want You to Know About

Now you can REALLY take charge of your health

Last year I attended a lecture by Dr. Jonny Bowden based on his then-new book The Great Cholesterol Myth, which he co-wrote with famed cardiologist Dr. Stephen Sinatra.

In both his lecture and bestselling book, Bowden emphasized getting a particle size test. What the heck is a particle size test? Well, it measures the subtype of HDL and LDL, which can help you better understand your risk for heart disease.

“There are several blood tests your doctor can order that will tell you just how much of your LDL cholesterol is ‘bad’ bad cholesterol,” Bowden and Sinatra write, “and how much of your LDL cholesterol is ‘good’ bad cholesterol.”

Fascinating. I wanted to know mine.

A few months later, I visited my doctor for my annual checkup and asked for a particle size test. My doctor,

12 Gym Stereotypes that Refuse to Die

Yeah!!

“I think he did maybe three sets the whole hour,” my coworker said, referring to a famous – at least in his mind – Hollywood screenwriter who often visits our gym. “Otherwise, he was texting, emailing, finding the perfect music mix, having a 15-minute conference call… Anything but actually work out.”

I wanted to tell my coworker she was sounding a little stalker-ish tracking this guy’s every move, but then I remember she had a crush on him. Our conversation turned to gym stereotypes that clients persist in keeping alive.

I named

5 Strategies Winners Incorporate to Make Their Goals a Reality

Not just a plan; a good plan

“I always start the New Year with the best of intentions,” a client recently told me, clearly discouraged, “and yet by mid-January, reality kicks in and my resolutions come down with a crashing thud.”

While I enjoyed working with this client, she had dropped the ball and canceled or rescheduled three of our January sessions.

Listen, as a personal trainer, I can only take you so far towards your goals. I can lovingly kick your ass during an intense workout, but I can’t drag your ass off the couch when you’re feeling unmotivated to show up for training.

Much as I wanted to gently reprimand her, I also sympathized with my client’s frustration. Every late December I set my resolutions high and develop concrete strategies to meet them, yet by early January I usually half-jokingly ask someone, “Can’t we just start this year over!?”

Lean, Toned & Spectacular: A Frugal Guide for Health & Happiness

Frugal fitness can be yours 

“I lived off ramen noodles for years in college,” my co-worker confessed. “I once had this roommate with a serious bank account who was always bringing in organic stuff, but not me. Even though I was a trainer, I was dirt poor and couldn’t afford to eat healthy.”

If you didn’t guess, my coworker and I were reminiscing about our sometimes-frugal college days. She still seemed a little pissed about this student I mentioned last week who abruptly ended her training sessions because she could no longer afford them.

Our conversation broached a bigger concern: