An important facet to anyone health is cholesterol. You really need to maintain a healthy range in your cholesterol readings to help reduce your risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke. The easiest and most effective way of keeping your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels low while your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels high is a combination of diet and exercise.
Step 1
Talk to your doctor about getting a lipid panel. Also known as a lipid profile, this type of blood test is the first step to maintaining your cholesterol levels. It can inform both you and your doctor on your total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein and triglyceride numbers.
Step 2
Limit your intake of saturated fat. Foods containing saturated fat can eventually increase total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in your bloodstream, so limit the amount of red meat, pork, eggs and whole-fat dairy in your diet. According to the American Heart Association, your saturated fat intake should make up no more than 7 percent of your total calories each day.
Step 3
Avoid foods containing trans-fatty acids. While the American Heart Association recommends that your diet contain no more than 1 percent of caloric intake in trans-fatty acids, it's best to avoid them altogether. Trans-fatty acids, also known as trans fats, can reduce HDL cholesterol in your body, increasing your chances of atherosclerosis (a narrowing of the arteries), which may lead to heart disease, heart attack or stroke.
Step 4
Keep your dietary cholesterol intake to fewer than 300 mg. Besides saturated fat and trans-fatty acids, dietary cholesterol can also increase total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides. Cholesterol is found mainly in animal-based products, such as meats, eggs and dairy.
Step 5
Eat foods rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and essential fatty acids (EFA). Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and fish can each provide you with many of the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that help to lower "bad" cholesterol while raising "good" cholesterol.
Step 6
Jog, bike or swim for at least 2 hours each week. Aerobically exercising for this length of time can actually increase the level of HDL in your body by 5 percent in as little as two months, according to the Mayo Clinic. This can be broken out into four 30 minute workouts or five 25 minute workouts. It's really up to you.
Step 7
Cut calories from your diet. If you're currently overweight, losing the excess pounds can improve your cholesterol levels. Eliminating 500 calories from your diet each day can translate into a pound of weight loss a week. After just 2 weeks, you should see an increase of 0.35 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) in your HDL levels, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Step 8
Quit smoking. It isn't just diet and exercise that affects your cholesterol levels. The nicotine, toxins and other chemicals found in cigarette smoke can influence your cholesterol, both raising LDL and lowering HDL.
Tips and Warnings
- As HDL levels increase, you should see a decrease in LDL levels. High-density lipoproteins actually remove this "bad" cholesterol from your bloodstream.
- Talk to your doctor before you start this diet and exercise program (or any fitness program, for that matter). Your health and cholesterol levels may require a different form of treatment as described.
