Any lifestyle-related illnesses see a dramatic change with regular exercise. High cholesterol falls in the same category. We have known from experience that losing is harder than gaining. Similar is the case when it comes to weight or cholesterol. There are various home remedies; however, regular exercise is the best.
Exercise provides many cardiovascular benefits, right from lowering your blood pressure, improving diabetes, to reducing your risk of heart attack, and stroke. Let us explore how it helps with lowering your cholesterol levels.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy substance naturally present in our body. Experts say that body's requirement of cholesterol is manufactured in the body itself; external intake of cholesterol is not required. But these days, the food that we eat is laden with cholesterol, and this excess intake results in our cholesterol levels shooting up. It should be noted that all cholesterol is not bad for you. There are two main types of cholesterol present: LDL (low density lipoprotein) which is considered "bad cholesterol" and HDL (high density lipoprotein) which is called "good cholesterol." Taking care of your cholesterol level should see decrease in the LDL (bad) cholesterol level and increase in the HDL (good) cholesterol level.
Why Keeping a Check on Cholesterol Level is So Important?
When there is excess cholesterol in the blood, it gets deposited on the walls of the blood vessels leading to atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries). This leads to many medical conditions like coronary artery disease, stroke, deep venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, etc. Therefore, there is a need to keep our cholesterol levels within the normal limits.
The problem of elevated cholesterol level used to occur only in the middle age and advanced ages, but nowadays, young adults in their late 20s or early 30s are increasingly hit by this.
Role of Exercise in Lowering Cholesterol Levels
Exercise has many cardiovascular benefits, right from lowering your blood pressure, improving diabetes, to reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke.
When your cholesterol level is slightly increased, doctors normally suggest lifestyle modifications, such as exercise and diet control. Only when the levels go very high, statins (cholesterol-lowering medications) come into the picture.
Exercise helps bring down your LDL cholesterol and increase HDL levels. This happens in two ways:
- It Lowers Triglycerides: Exercising first thing in the morning can improve postprandial plasma-triglyceride levels throughout the day, according to a study by researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. Exercise also promotes weight loss, and that helps bring down the triglyceride levels even more.
- It Raises HDL Levels: Regular aerobic exercise (any exercise, such as walking, jogging or bike riding, which raises your heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes at a stretch) may be the most effective way to increase HDL levels. Experts say that the duration of the exercise, rather than the intensity, is what helps in raising HDL cholesterol. But any aerobic exercise helps.
Exercise plays a very important role in the overall well-being and fitness of a person. However, care should be taken in choosing the right exercise for you. The intensity of the exercise that suits one person can be hazardous to another.
Types of Exercises
Let us look into the different types of exercises:
- Stretching: Stretching is a very essential part of every exercise program. Stretching your arms and legs before and after each exercise session helps prepare your muscles for activity and also prevents injuries and muscle strain. Not to forget, it increases your flexibility.
- Cardio/Aerobic Exercises: This is one type of exercise which strengthens your heart and lungs and the capacity of our body to use oxygen. It makes use of all large muscle groups in the body. Regular cardio workout helps in decreasing the heart rate and blood pressure and improving breathing. Simple exercises like walking, jogging, bicycling, skating , skiing, rowing, swimming all come under this group.
- Strength Training: This involves repeated muscle contractions with the help of weights. This is mainly used for muscle building. You must consult your doctor before opting for any exercises in this group.
- Yoga and Tai Chi: In exercises like Yoga and Tai Chi, many deep breathing and stretching techniques are taught. This improves blood flow to all parts of the body, and reduces narrowing of the arteries to a great extent. Meditation is also good to prevent narrowing of arteries.
When you are young, you tend to give very little attention towards your health. You eat whatever your heart desires, you skip meals, you eat whenever you want. You tend to care less because your body seems to be fine. But then, as you step into the 30s, you start experiencing problems and then you go about searching for answers. Instead, even at a young age, if you incorporate a healthy exercise regimen in your routine, you can prevent a lot of lifestyle-related illnesses.
