28 Aug Exercise Can Lower Bad Cholesterol
If your cholesterol levels are high, so is your risk of heart disease, which also happens to be the leading cause of death in the US. You can lower those bad cholesterol levels by taking medication to reduce the risk, but the good news is that you can get the same result if you exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet at the same time. Diet is a discussion I’ll save for another day. There’s A LOT to discuss there. But here’s a few questions about exercise I’ll answer now.
How does regular activity or exercise lower cholesterol levels?
A number of mechanisms are involved in this. Regular exercise stimulates enzymes that move LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or ‘bad cholesterol’ from the walls of your blood vessels to the liver, which turns it into either bile (aiding digestion), or it is excreted through the colon.
Put simply, the more you exercise, the more your body excretes or utilizes LDL.
How much do I need to exercise to reduce cholesterol?
That depends on your physique and physical requirements. However, as a rule of thumb, you should get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day or at least 3 times a week to maintain or lower your cholesterol levels. If you cannot take half an hour from your busy schedule to work out or do any kind of exercise, you can just break that time down into 15 minute intervals throughout the day. This will ensure your body remains active and those LDL levels remain low.
Try to keep your intervals at 10 minutes or more. Your body needs at least that much time to warm up and get that blood pumping. Aerobics is a great exercise format in this regard, but you may not want to start with that if you have low stamina. Work up to it by doing small exercises and increase intensity each day until you know your body can keep up with a rigorous half-hour long workout regimen. That is the key to a healthy lifestyle – developing a plan that you can actually do and maintain!
Want a fitness plan that is customized for you? Click here to get my special COMMIT-TO-FIT Kick Start Package! It includes a PERSONALIZED Fitness Analysis, a 30-day doctor-designed workout program, and my e-book, “A Quick Start Guide To The Dr. Venus Diet.”
Stay Fit! Be Happy!
-Dr. Venus
No Comments