Exercises that Help to Reduce your Cholesterol

We can say for sure that cardiovascular exercises are the best solution to reduce your cholesterol levels, as long as they're accompanied by a healthy diet.

According to the recommendations of the Spanish Heart Foundation, to reduce your cholesterol levels you need to follow a balanced diet and engage in frequent physical activities.

The same foundation admits that cardiovascular exercise helps to decrease glucose levels and blood pressure. Anyone who suffers from high cholesterol should drastically change their life habits. It’s important to work out regularly and eat a nutritious diet that contributes to maintain stable cholesterol levels.

Which exercises help to reduce your cholesterol levels?

As we mentioned before, you need to maintain an active lifestyle to ensure that your cholesterol levels don’t exceed the recommended values. In one of his studies, Steve Mann shows which types of exercises are the most adequate to keep cholesterol levels under control. Broadly speaking, we can mention the following guidelines:

• If your cholesterol levels are high, you should work out five days per week. Your routine must consist of both strength training and aerobic exercise. This will make your LDC levels (bad cholesterol) drop while increasing your HDL levels (good cholesterol) at the same time.
• On the contrary, if your cholesterol levels are high and you can’t move easily due to your weight or age, start with strength training exercises to progressively improve your physical condition. To achieve this, include mundane tasks such as walking or climbing the stairs in your daily routine. Avoid any activity with a high impact on your joints.
• In contrast, if your cholesterol levels are within the recommended parameters, you shouldn’t have much trouble with controlling your cholesterol levels by maintaining an active lifestyle (five days per week of aerobic exercise and strength training).

Six tips to reduce your cholesterol and keep it under control

Next up, we’ll give you a list of simple tips to help keep your cholesterol levels under control. However, keep in mind that none of them can replace a medical consultation or the treatment that was prescribed by the professional.

1. Start walking

Walking is one of the most efficient exercises to reduce your cholesterol. However, if you want to get results from this activity, you must go for long and intense walks. Try to reach at least 100 heartbeats per minute.

You have to work out continually, with walks that are between 30 minutes and an hour long. This last aspect is important so that your body starts consuming energy from its fat reservoirs; it’s a key factor for cholesterol. We can practice this activity every day. If this isn’t possible for you, try to do it for at least three to four days a week.

2. Start swimming regularly

If you’re looking for a cardiovascular exercise that gives better results in terms of calorie expenditure, you can choose swimming. One of the main pros is that it has a very low impact on your joints. This is very important if your cholesterol levels are very high or if your mobility is impaired.

For swimming to be effective, you need to master swimming techniques. This is because you have to maintain a level of effort for the necessary time to achieve your goals. If you lean towards this option, we recommend practicing and training the swimming techniques first.

3. If walking isn’t enough, get into running

Walking can be incredibly boring for a lot of people. If you want to advance in your fitness journey, running is a great option. To get the ideal results and not give up easily, it’s convenient to start progressively.

For example, you can start with 15 minutes and work your way up slowly. Just as with swimming, it would be interesting to go to a fitness professional so they can help you to improve the technique.

4. Dancing as a recreational activity to reduce your cholesterol

Dancing is an activity of great importance in the recreational scene. It allows us to socialize with more people while improving our cardiovascular condition. At the same time, it can help us to work on other important physical qualities depending on our age. Balance and agility are some examples.

5. Activities in fitness centers

Nowadays, fitness centers have numerous cardiovascular activities that help to reduce cholesterol levels while burning fat at the same time.

Once we’re at the fitness center, we can use the occasion to work on our muscle strength as well. This will tone our muscles after the fat burning we just experienced.

6. The importance of a balanced diet to reduce your cholesterol

We can say that around 65 percent of the population with high cholesterol suffers from this condition due to genetic factors. However, the remaining 35 percent should keep it under control with a varied, balanced and healthy diet. A low-fat diet is key to prevent your cholesterol levels from spiking up.

As you can see, reducing your cholesterol is pretty easy. You just have to look for the guidance of a professional and follow their indications closely. To reach this goal, you must be consistent and give your best. Improve your quality of life with just a few simple habits!