How I'm Tackling My Elevated Cholesterol
Three books can change your Thursday. One book can change your world.
Hello,
I’ve been tracking my blood work since the year 2000.
It started back in medical school. I was drowning in lectures, night shifts, and cafeteria coffee, but somehow found the energy to build a spreadsheet–cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, year over year. I’d log my labs and look for patterns. I remember noticing, maybe only anecdotally, that during the most stressful chapters of training–ICU months, Step exams, long stretches of 24-hour shifts–my cholesterol would spike. And when the dust settled, so would my numbers.
After residency, I kept tracking. A commitment that stretched across decades. I now have 25 years of data–enough for a graph with a meaningful trend line.
For most of that time, everything was in the normal range. Until about three years ago, when the numbers started to shift–specifically my LDL, which took a steady climb upward. And that number, we know, is linked to increased risk of atherosclerosis.
If a friend came to me with my exact numbers, this is what I’d tell them (and I have as some of you know!):
Get your ass off the couch. Make fitness a priority. Ease up on the burgers and late-night ice cream. Commit for six months–real effort, not half-hearted promises. Then redo your blood work. If there’s improvement, keep going. If there’s not, it might be time to consider medication. Simple. Honest.
But the truth? I didn’t follow my own advice.
Not right away.
Like a lot of us, I lived in that space between knowing and doing. I told myself I was fine. I exercised—kind of. I watched my diet—sometimes. But mostly, I coasted.
Until this year.
At the end of August, I made the commitment. I turned the whisper of concern into a full-volume experiment.
Daily movement.
Strength training, walks, hikes, jump rope, swimming.
Diet changes—less alcohol, smaller portions, fewer sweets.
(One scoop of Häagen-Dazs, not the pint… most nights.)
It’s been a month now.
Not long enough to declare victory, but enough to feel the difference. In mood, in sleep, in how my clothes fit. And in something less measurable but more important–how I show up for myself.
I’m sharing this with you for two reasons:
For accountability. I want to stay honest.
Because maybe there’s someone out there–maybe it’s you–who’s been sitting on the edge of a decision for too long. And if this helps you take one small step, that’s worth it.
I’ll retest my labs at the end of 2025. I’ll share the results, whatever they are. And in the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on whether I’m keeping the promise–almost daily movement, and more intentional meals.
And just to be clear: I’m a doctor, but this isn’t medical advice. Talk to your own doctor about your own numbers.
Welcome to this week’s Three Book Thursday.
This week, we’re revisiting four books—three as usual, plus one bonus. These books shaped the framework I’m using for this experiment.
1. Health and wellness
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Summary
This is probably the best, most practical book I’ve read on longevity and healthspan. I’ve been following Attia for quite some time and could never truly get onboard with his philosophy–it was always a bit too complex and, frankly, impractical. But once he turned 50-years-old, his thinking simplified and he seems to have found a strategy and voice that I can work with (and so can you). If your health matters to you, this is a must read. It is never too late to focus on your health–physical and mental. I’ve learned that our bodies are amazingly resilient and can withstand years of poor nutrition, poor sleep, and little exercise. But if you give it what it needs–exercise, nutritious foods, sleep, relationships–your body will return the favor and you’ll feel the best you’ve ever felt. It does not take any special diets or training plans to make this change. All it takes is for you to get started. The rest will take care of itself.
Insight: Regular exercisers live as much as a decade longer than sedentary people.
Insight: I now consider exercise to to be the most potent longevity drug in our arsenal.
Quote: There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in. -Bishop Desmond Tutu
Author: Peter Attia
Themes: Health and wellness, Living a full life
My personal notes from the book
2. Personal development
Own the Day, Own Your Life
Summary
This is a fresh approach to health, wellness, and building effective routines. The book fundamentally changed how I approach each morning and had a significant impact on my diet and fitness routines.
Principle: To live one day well is the same as to live ten thousand days well. To master twenty-four hours is to master your life.
Insight: The little things are the big things.
Quote: No man ever steps into the same river twice. For it’s not the same river, and he is not the same person -Heraclitus
Instruction: Accomplish these tasks in the first 20 minutes of waking up
Activity (light movement)
Hydration (water)
Outside light (sunlight)
Author: Aubrey Marcus
Themes: Personal development, Health and wellness
My personal notes from the book
3. Health and wellness
The New Evolution Diet: What Our Paleolithic Ancestors Can Teach Us About Weight Loss, Fitness, and Aging
Summary
I am not one for diet books (in fact, I believe there is no such thing as a successful diet). Nonetheless, this was a fascinating read and touched on diet and health principles that I was unfamiliar with. It challenged my previously held beliefs. The advice makes sense. I’ve adopted a few new behaviors from this book. There will be other health and wellness books in future Three Book Thursday’s that I’d recommend more than this one. But, The New Evolution Diet is worth a read. See what you think.
Insight: Of all athletes, those who sprint-basketball, soccer, rugby players, and football players, are the most capable and have the best bodies.
Insight: Walking and sprinting are the safest and most beneficial forms of aerobic exercise.
Insight: Muscle is medicine against developing metabolic diseases.
Insight: Doing a few intense muscle exercises, each lasting about 30 secs, dramatically improves your metabolism in just two weeks.
Author: Arthur De Vany
Themes: Health and wellness
My personal notes from the book
Bonus: Health and wellness
Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond
Summary
If you are looking for something to inspire physical change in your life, this book is it. Another two reader for me, once on audio and once hardcopy. I recommended this book to my friend Barry Kanczucker and he said it changed his life. I think his Peloton streak is now more than 1,000 days and he is fitter than ever! We are learning that exercise is truly the key to healthspan. It’s so simple, yet so few do it. This book may be just the right spark.
Insight: The message from thousands of studies, over decades of medical research, is clear: Never go on a diet again. The only way to lose weight is to embark on a program of steady, vigorous exercise, avoiding the worst foods being thrust upon you in our national diet and eating less of everything.
Insight: People with arthritis often see it as a barrier to strength training. But arthritis is not a contraindication. Quite the contrary. The combination of strong muscles and improved proprioception protects the joints from further damage and lets them heal.
Insight: Exercise changes all this because if, and only if, you exercise regularly, the chemistry of your blood changes. The chronic inflammatory signals of sedentary life get replaced by signals to grow, to heal, to recover. The bottom line. Exercise reverses the chemistry of decay.
Author: Chris Cowley and Henry Lodge
Themes: Health and wellness, Living a full life
My personal notes from the book
Always ❤️📚💡
P.S. Let me know if you’ve been on a similar journey and what were some of your most effective behavior changes that led to positive results.
Three Book Thursday is free, but there are many costs to create these posts each week. So, can you do me a favor?
If you find value here, please support the newsletter.
Please share Three Book Thursday with a friend, college, family member, or post it to your socials. I’m working hard to grow this audience, but let’s be honest—you’re probably better at it than I am.
Or, do both!