Five Lifestyle Changes to Improve Your Cholesterol
High cholesterol can be a genetically conditioned health disorder or a result of the type of lifestyle you lead. With increased cholesterol levels, your heart is at risk of heart disease and heart attacks. The best first step to regulating it is a few lifestyle changes.
Here are five things you should start practicing as soon as possible:
Turn to a Healthy Diet
Healthy doesn’t need to mean devoid of taste, and even if it did, it’s your health you should be thinking about first! Here’s what to do:
- Eliminate trans fats from your diet (also known as “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil”). Find healthy replacements for store-bought cookies, cakes, crackers, margarine, etc.
- Reduce saturated fat to reduce your low-density lipoprotein or the “bad” cholesterol Saturated fats are primarily found in full-fat dairy products and red meat
- Increase soluble fiber as it helps reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Soluble fiber is in foods like kidney beans, oatmeal, Brussels sprouts, pears and apples
- Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids as they don’t affect LDL cholesterol but do regulate blood pressure. Foods with omega-3 fatty acids are walnuts, salmon, herring, mackerel, and flaxseeds
- Add whey protein to your diet as it lowers both LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol while helping regulate blood pressure
- Include the right type of supplements in your diet such as Cholesterade®to keep your cholesterol levels in check
Increase Your Physical Activity as Much as Possible
Exercising is beneficial for virtually all bodily and mental functions. When it comes to cholesterol control, exercise helps improve it by raising high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. If you are not too much of a gym rat, there are other options you can try, such as:
- Riding a bike
- Taking a walk in nature
- Going swimming
- Playing your favorite sports with your friends
- Do some yard work or clean the house
Lose Weight
High cholesterol can be (and often is) triggered by extra weight; losing weight is one of the essential elements in improving your cholesterol. Cholesterade®has proven effective in aiding with dieting efforts.
Apart from regulating your diet, you need to exercise as well to speed up the process of shedding the extra pounds. Be persistent and see your body and health transform.
Quit Smoking
Your HDL cholesterol level improves very quickly after you quit smoking. As cited on the website of Mayo Clinic, this is what happens when you stop smoking:
- Within 20 minutes of quitting, your blood pressure and heart rate recover from the cigarette-induced spike
- Within three months, your blood circulation and lung function begin to improve
- Within a year of quitting, your risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker
#5 Drink Alcohol Only in Moderation
Although, the best general rule that applies to all health segments is to consume everything in moderation. And we try, rarely any of us manages to succeed. However, some changes are a must, especially if you are facing cholesterol problems, potential heart failure, high blood pressure, and strokes.
Higher levels of HDL cholesterol link to the moderate use of alcohol, but it’s recommended that consumption be within reasonable limits.
Positive lifestyle changes are the best thing you can do for your overall health. Along with these changes, make sure you add consider CHOLESTERADE®, a non-drug intervention to lower cholesterol before considering statin intervention.