High cholesterol is a serious condition that can ultimately be fatal. When your cholesterol levels rise, your arteries form plaque, which restricts blood flow to your heart and brain. This can ultimately lead to a heart attack or stroke. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 30 minutes or more of physical activity on most days of the week can raise your HDL (good cholesterol) and lower your LDL (bad cholesterol). An exercise routine to do this doesn't have to be complicated or difficult.
Step 1
Get clearance. Although exercising may sound like a great idea to get your cholesterol down, it's not a great idea if you are not physically able to do it. Before you engage in any new exercise routine, make sure to get approval from your doctor.
Step 2
Go for a walk. Walking is one of the easiest and most convenient forms of exercise. You don't need a gym membership and if worst comes to worst, you can literally walk in place to get your exercise. It also does not cause a major impact on your joints. Set your alarm clock 30 minutes earlier in the morning and go for a moderate intensity walk. Or you can go any other time of the day or evening that is most convenient for you. Moderate is characterized by being slightly out of breath and breaking a sweat.
Step 3
Break up your exercise bouts. To reap the benefits of exercise for your cholesterol, you do not need to get your 30 minute minimum in succession. For example, if you have a busy schedule, do smaller bouts of exercise throughout the course of the day. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you squeeze in three to six 10-minute bouts of exercise, you will still get some cholesterol lowering benefits.
Step 4
Add in weight training. Cardio specifically gives you the benefits of weight loss and a stronger heart. Weight training can offer you those benefits in smaller amounts, but it can also offer you other benefits like stronger muscles, stronger bones, improved balance and and increased metabolism. Add two or three days of weight training into your routine. Perform exercises that target all of your major muscles like chest presses, shoulder presses, back rows, tricep dips, bicep curls and lunges. Do 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps with moderate weights.
Step 5
Spice it up even more. If you tend to get bored easy, then try doing different routines every day. For example, instead of walking all the time, do some other activities that you enjoy like biking, elliptical training, swimming, water aerobics, stair stepping, rowing or attend fitness classes with a friend.
Step 6
Put it all together. You can do any combination of exercises that you want, but make sure not to do weight training on two consecutive days as this will not allow your muscles to fully recover. An example program can look like this: Monday and Tuesday--walking, Wednesday and Friday--weight training, Thursday--kickboxing class, Saturday--swimming and Sunday--bike.
Step 7
Supplement your exercise. Although it may sound trite, this is still effective. When you go out, park further away from your locations and walk to them. Use stairs every chance you get and go out dancing instead of going to the movies. If you do go to the movies, park in the parking lot next to the theater.
