5 Exercises To Help You Reduce High Cholesterol

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, the chances are you’ve been looking for ways to treat it. With the right lifestyle changes, you can lower your cholesterol to healthy levels. It is important to recognize that there are two main types of cholesterol found in the body.

Too much low-density lipoprotein is considered to be detrimental to the body, whereas high-density lipoprotein is beneficial. When you are diagnosed with high cholesterol by your physician and told to make lifestyle changes, they are referring to high levels of low-density lipoprotein in your body.

Exercise is a great way to lower bad cholesterol in the body. When combined with healthy eating, exercise can be enough to lower cholesterol without the need for high cholesterol treatment. Here are five types of exercise that can be beneficial when aiming to reduce your high cholesterol:

Jogging

running-shoes
Running shoes; image source: pexels.com

Jogging can be a great form of exercise, particularly for those that find exercising difficult. It is recommended that individuals work out moderately when aiming to lower their cholesterol, and jogging is an excellent way to do this.

To have the best impact, you should aim to jog for an average of forty minutes, three times per week. Although this may be difficult to achieve at first for some people, you can build up to this. It is important to remember that any form of exercise is better than none at all, so just do what you can.

Biking

exercise-fifties
Image source: pexels.com

Biking can be a fun way to burn calories and lower cholesterol while also seeing a bit more of nature. There are many routes that are specifically designed for cycling, and most of these are fairly scenic. The good thing about biking is that it allows people of all abilities to exercise. For those who are relatively unfit, a gentle to moderate bike ride can help when easing back into the world of exercise.

It’s always a good idea to choose cycle routes suited to your fitness levels. A quick search online for cycle routes in your area should help you to determine which is right for you.

Swimming

swimming
A person swimming.

Swimming is a very underrated form of exercise, but it can be one of the best. Swimming requires using almost every one of your muscles, which is great for toning all areas of your body and also good for your cardiovascular system. Swimming is a perfect full-body workout for those that have lower levels of fitness.

It is quite easy to build up your strength and endurance over a short space of time if you swim regularly. Although you may be put off by the prices at your local swimming pool, that doesn’t mean you can’t swim. If you have a beach or lake nearby, you can swim for free.

Weightlifting

weightlifting woman
weightlifting woman

Weightlifting and bodybuilding have increased in popularity in recent years; gone are the days where people only lift weights to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many people of all shapes, sizes, and ages are now incorporating weight training into their exercise routines. Lifting weights can help target areas of your body that are weaker than others, and also increase your overall strength.

Weight training can be an excellent addition to any other exercise that you wish to undertake. Lifting weights burns a lot of calories, which can be great if you have some excess body fat to lose. It is also good for heart health, something that should be a focal point of any exercise you undertake to lower bad cholesterol.

Yoga

Although many people see yoga as more of a hobby than anything else, it is actually a great form of exercise. It is beneficial for stress reduction, which also has an impact on your overall health. In addition to this, yoga helps many people to improve their flexibility, which is often an issue for older individuals.

By improving flexibility, yoga can help you to loosen your body up to undertake more intensive exercise routines. However, this isn’t the only benefit of yoga, as it can also assist in burning body fat, which is essential when aiming to lower your cholesterol.

Finally

Before participating in any form of exercise, it is important to discuss what is best for you with a medical professional.

 

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