Having a high cholesterol level has become a very serious problem for many people today. This has been credited to a majority of the population getting accustomed to a diet rich in fats, bad habits such as smoking and leading a sedentary lifestyle. And because of high cholesterol levels, more and more people are finding themselves at an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease as well as stroke and heart attack.
Heart disease is the number one cause of death for most people in the developed countries around the world. Having a high level of blood cholesterol has been linked to the increase of the incidence of heart disease and has become a grave cause of concern.
The only good news to this fact is that developing heart disease is highly preventable. All it takes is for one to be able to follow a healthier lifestyle. The path to such a lifestyle is trying to lower one’s cholesterol level. Although there are already several drugs available that will help an individual reduce body cholesterol levels, this is usually reserved for more high risk patients in need of drastic decreases in their cholesterol levels. There are also natural ways readily available for anyone looking forward to lowering their own cholesterol to normal and healthy levels.
One of the natural ways of lowering cholesterol levels is through diet. Following a low cholesterol diet day in and day out can be very effective in trying to control and maintain a normal cholesterol level. This would mean eating low cholesterol foods such as soy products, vegetables and fruits.
High fiber foods are also known to help in the fight to lower cholesterol. Regular exercise is also a good habit to develop if you are really intent in trying to lower your cholesterol levels. Exercise helps in increasing HDL or “good” cholesterol in the body as well as strengthens your heart muscle, helps keep your blood pressure at normal and even helps you in shedding of those excess pounds.
There are also several natural supplements that will be able to help you lower your cholesterol levels. Taking B-complex vitamins, specifically Niacin, has been known to help lower blood cholesterol in the body. supplements fortified with Lecithin can also help in lowering your cholesterol as it enables excess fat and cholesterol to be dispersed in the water instead of building up in the arteries.
There are other natural ways of lowering cholesterol levels available today. All it will take is some research and talking to your doctor about how to effectively follow a lifestyle that will enable you to lower cholesterol the natural way.
Exercising is the Best Way to Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol is something that is in every human being. This is just one of the many things that are produced by the person in order to function properly.
Unfortunately, eating food and drinking alcohol that is high in sugar, fat and oil may do more harm than good to a person. The individual will soon suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attack or a stroke.
The good news is there is a way to prevent this before it happens. It will take a lot of sacrifice and hard work on the part of the individual because the body will not be able to sustain the effects because of aging.
Apart from eating less and making changes in the diet, the best way to lower cholesterol is by exercising. This will increase the heart rate and metabolism in the body allowing it to expel the harmful oils, which are detrimental to one’s health.
Those who have not exercised before should first consult with a physician to find out which is safe. Those who have a heart condition may not do something rigorous and will have to rely on something that is low impact such as walking, weight lifting or stretching.
Should the physician say the patient can participate in high impact exercises; there is running, swimming, aerobics and bicycling. The type of exercise will depend on several factors and not only medical history. This will also depend on gender, age and weight.
The doctor can make a plan then the person should relay this to the fitness instructor as to what is safe or not. From there, an exercise program can be made and all the patient has to do is follow it.
After a week or two, there will be improvements in the levels of good and bad cholesterol in the body as well as reduction in the current weight of the person.
Exercising is also considered to be the best way because the use of drugs has known to cause side effects when the person takes this.
If the individual does not have time to enroll in a gym, there are other ways to pump those muscles and increase the heart rate. For starters, men and women can go brisk walking early in the morning or before going to work.
Some offices and hospitals encourage people to walk up one or two flights of stairs instead of using the elevator to go up or down a few floors. If the company where one works in has a big parking lot, the individual can try walking a few yards more instead of taking the space near the door.
During any exercise, it is best to drink lots of water. This will prevent the body from dehydration that often leads to exhaustion. Instead of going to the fountain every few minutes, it is best to bring a water bottle.
This will save a lot of time and keep the person at pace with the group activity or the work being done on the machine.
Someone once said that health is wealth. By exercising, one will be able to lower the bad cholesterol in the body and live longer than those who choose to do nothing but are aware of the dangers of not making some lifestyle changes.