Using Exercise To Solve Your High Cholesterol Problems
Nearly everyone has heard about high cholesterol and how bad it is for your health. But if you have a high cholesterol problem, just what can you do about it? Often, the media focuses on using medications to help the problem, or possibly the latest fad diet. However, exercising could also help you to improve your cholesterol levels.
In most cases, exercise in general helps your overall health. But, is there one form of exercise or another that is better for lowering your cholesterol? Plus, if you have not been exercising already, the idea of starting up a daily exercising routine may be a little overwhelming at first. So how much exercise do you need, and just what will it do to your overall cholesterol levels?
First, think about what happens when you exercise. As you exercise, your body demands more oxygen and other nutrients to feed your muscles. This in turn causes your heart to work harder and expands your blood vessels. Since your heart is a muscle, exercise makes your heart stronger. This helps protect your heart even when your cholesterol levels are high.
Finding the best cholesterol-lowering exercise
If you are looking for exercises that will help lower your cholesterol, then you need to find the ones that help get your heart working. This does not always call for a strenuous workout routine – just one that gets your heart working more efficiently on a regular basis. Just doing this alone will help you to lower your cholesterol levels.
For this reason, nearly any cardiovascular activity that you enjoy will help you to lower your cholesterol. Depending on your other health conditions, exercises like walking, biking, swimming, aerobics, yoga, and other cardiovascular-oriented exercises will work. If you have other health conditions, such as arthritis or being severely overweight, talk to your doctor about an exercise routine that will help your cholesterol without stressing out other parts of your body.
How much is enough
There is no one set prescription exercise for everyone when it comes to lowering your cholesterol. The amount that you need to lower your cholesterol will be dependent on how high your cholesterol level is, what sort of exercises you are currently doing, and your overall health. Your doctor will be the best resource for determining an exercise routine that is both safe and effective for you. Stick to this routine and exercise on a regular basis in order to see the best results.
In general, the experts recommend that the average adult exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. If you are not used to exercising, consider splitting up this time into smaller increments throughout the day while you become adjusted.
Your test results
If you are exercising regularly, you should see a difference on your cholesterol blood levels when your doctor does your next test. You should see a decrease in the “bad” cholesterol known as LDL cholesterol, and an increase in the “good” cholesterol known as HDL cholesterol. You may also start to see the other benefits of an exercise program, such as weight loss and improved blood pressure as your entire body becomes healthier.
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