Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in your body’s cells. Remember that your body makes some cholesterol on its own. But cholesterol is also found in your diet, primarily in foods of animal origin, such as eggs, meat, and dairy.
Your body needs some cholesterol to function properly. For example, cholesterol is needed to make vitamin D, certain hormones, and even substances called bile acids that help your intestines digest food properly. But consuming too much cholesterol in your diet is thought to cause health problems.
In fact, excess cholesterol in your blood can combine with other substances to form plaque that sticks to the walls of your arteries. Plaque buildup, called atherosclerosis, can narrow or block your arteries and increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
There are three types of cholesterol:
- HDL cholesterol, also known as high-density lipoprotein, helps remove excess cholesterol from your body. It is often referred to as “good” cholesterol.
- LDL cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries. It is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol.
- VLDL cholesterol, or very low-density lipoprotein, carries triglycerides and can also contribute to plaque buildup in your arteries. VLDL is also considered “bad” cholesterol.
High cholesterol (also known as dyslipidemia) can be inherited. But lifestyle factors, such as a diet high in saturated fat, not getting enough exercise, and smoking, can also contribute to high cholesterol. Maintaining a sedentary lifestyle and especially smoking can lower your HDL (good) cholesterol levels, which can then cause your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels to rise. Remember, HDL cholesterol helps remove LDL (bad) cholesterol from your body.
In addition to adjusting your diet, increasing physical activity is one of the effective methods to help control cholesterol. However, to achieve optimal results while ensuring safety, exercisers need to understand and adhere to the basic principles before starting their exercise journey.
Principles to remember before starting
Here are 8 main principles:
1. Consult your doctor before exercising
Before starting any exercise plan, especially if you have high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure or a history of cardiovascular disease, consulting your doctor is mandatory. Your doctor will help assess your physical condition, choose the appropriate intensity and type of exercise, thereby minimizing the risk of complications during exercise. Don’t hesitate to get regular health check-ups to make sure you’re always safe when exercising.
2. Start easy and gradually increase the intensity
One of the most common mistakes is rushing to overdo your workouts right from the start. Your body needs time to adapt to physical activity, especially if you’ve been sedentary before. Start with gentle exercises like slow walking, stretching, then gradually increase the time and intensity as you get used to it. Speeding up too soon not only increases the risk of injury but also causes fatigue, making you more likely to give up.
3. Listen to your body during exercise
No one knows your body better than you. If you feel chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or unusual fatigue while exercising, stop immediately. Don’t try to force yourself to complete the exercise when your body is warning you. Rest and find out the cause to adjust for the next exercise. Safety should always come first in any physical activity.
4. Warm up thoroughly and stretch adequately
Warming up and stretching are two indispensable steps in every workout. Warming up helps warm up the muscles, increase blood circulation and reduce the risk of injury. Stretching after exercise helps soothe the muscles, reduce pain and support better recovery. Just spending 5-10 minutes on each step, you can improve the effectiveness of your workout while ensuring safety for the cardiovascular and skeletal system.
5. Maintain regularity instead of training intensively
The key to effectively reducing cholesterol lies in persistence and regularity. Training intensively for a few days and then giving up will not bring positive results but will also make the body tired. According to recommendations, you should maintain at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise (brisk walking, cycling …) every day, 5 days a week. If you are too busy, you can completely divide it into short 10-minute sessions but need to maintain it regularly.
6. Diversify the forms of exercise
Cholesterol is not only reduced by walking or jogging but also requires a combination of diverse forms of exercise. You can alternate between aerobics, swimming, cycling, climbing stairs, light weight training or yoga exercises to bring comprehensive benefits to the heart, muscles and mind. Changing your exercises also helps you avoid boredom and maintain long-term exercise motivation.
7. Combine a healthy diet
Exercise will not be effective if you still maintain unhealthy eating habits. Build a diet rich in fiber, green vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts and minimize foods rich in saturated fat, fried foods, sweets and fast food. Drinking enough water and avoiding alcohol are also important factors to improve cholesterol and overall health.
8. Set realistic goals and stick to them
Finally, the most important thing is to set realistic goals and stick to them. Lowering cholesterol is a long-term journey that cannot be achieved in just a few days or weeks. Start with small goals like walking for 15 minutes a day, then gradually increase to 30 minutes or more. Noticing even the smallest improvements will help you stay motivated and believe in yourself.
