Diet and Exercise Can Help Regulate Cholesterol Levels

Are you worried about your cholesterol level? If it’s too high, you should worry because high cholesterol can put you at risk for heart disease, heart attack and stroke. Want some practical tips to help lower your cholesterol without having to take a prescription? The best way to regulate your cholesterol levels is by watching what you eat and exercising regularly. Sometimes, a prescription may still be necessary, but you should try lowering your cholesterol with these lifestyle changes first.

It is important to watch what you eat when you want to lower your cholesterol levels because by eating the wrong foods you can overload your body with cholesterol. Cholesterol is a substance naturally produced by the body necessary for important body functions such as maintenance of cell walls. By eating a high fat diet, you add to the cholesterol already made by your body. This overload is what causes cholesterol to be deposited in your veins and arteries where it can build up and block the arteries causing heart disease and damage.

Eating the Right Foods

For you to cut your cholesterol levels by eating right, you must try to avoid foods such as fatty meats, full fat dairy products and foods containing high levels of saturated fat. To be healthy, you should eat a balanced diet that includes many fruit and vegetables and whole grain breads. Instead of eating red meat, such as beef, regularly eat more poultry and fish. Grilling your meats instead of frying them will also make them more heart healthy.

Beginning an exercise routine will also help lower your cholesterol levels and keep your arteries clean. If you are inactive, it is best to start incorporating exercise into your lifestyle slowly. You might want to start your exercise routine by taking short walks or doing simple stretching exercises. Make it your goal to work up to 30 minutes of exercise three to four times each week. Swimming, biking and walking are good choices for exercise. You might want to vary your exercise routine so you don’t get bored and stop. The longer and more often you exercise, the more your cholesterol levels will fall.

Regular Exercise

Even if you eat properly and exercise regularly, sometimes it is still necessary for you to take a prescription medication to lower your cholesterol. One reason for this may be because your body may produce too much cholesterol and cause your cholesterol levels to still be too high. Even though it is best to control your cholesterol though diet and exercise, a cholesterol lowering medicine may be needed to help decrease your risk of heart disease.

If you want to have a healthy heart, start by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly. These activities will not only help improve your heart health and lower your cholesterol levels, they will also improve your health as a whole. You will find you feel better and look better because of your new healthier lifestyle.