If you are someone who keeps an eye on cholesterol, here is another reason to add exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that not only comes from your body, but also from the food you eat. Your liver makes all the cholesterol your body needs and circulates it through the blood. However, levels can get too high when we take in animal sources, such as meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy products. Your liver will produce even more cholesterol when you eat a diet high in saturated and trans fats.
Excess cholesterol can form plaque between the layers of the artery walls, which can make your heart work harder to circulate blood. This is known as atherosclerosis. The plaque can break and cause blood clots, which can cause a heart attack or stroke, depending where in the body the clot occurs. In addition, high triglyceride levels; another source of fat in the blood, can also lead to atherosclerosis. Often, people with high triglycerides also have high total cholesterol level, which includes high LDL and low HDL.
There are two types of cholesterol:
Making healthy dietary choices and increasing exercise are important in improving your cholesterol numbers. Why is exercise an important part of lowing cholesterol? It is believed that exercise stimulates enzymes to remove the bad LDL cholesterol from your blood to your liver. The liver converts it into bile for digestion and is then excreted from the body. Exercise also increases the size of the protein particles, known as lipoproteins, which carry cholesterol through the blood. Small dense particles are more dangerous as they can squeeze into the linings of the heart and blood vessels.
How much exercise is recommended to see a difference? It is recommended to do a minimum of 30 minutes per a day of moderate to vigorous exercise, such as walking, jogging, biking, and swimming. Vigorous exercise is better than moderate exercise as it will also raise levels of the good HDL cholesterol. Just walking isn’t enough; however, some exercise is better than none. If weight loss is a goal, it is recommended to do 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous exercise along with a healthy diet and portion control. Being overweight can increase the amount of LDL in your blood. So it is important to maintain a healthy weight. In some cases, cholesterol lowing medication may be prescribed by your physician to use in addition to the lifestyle changes discussed above.
References:
www.heart.org
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hbc
By: Erin Kelly, MS, ACSM-HSF, Fitness Specialist/Personal Trainer at Valley Health Wellness & Fitness Center
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