High cholesterol is a growing concern for many people looking to maintain heart health. Characterized by excessively high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and insufficient levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, the condition can gradually increase your risk of heart disease over time.
Lifestyle changes, especially starting an exercise routine, can significantly improve your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart problems.
Exercise programs can be tailored in a number of ways to target cholesterol reduction. Consider these key variables:
1. Intensity
When designing an exercise routine to improve cholesterol, it is important to incorporate exercises across multiple intensity zones:
- High Intensity: Vigorous aerobic activities such as competitive sports, sprinting, or high-intensity interval training significantly increase HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL levels. These strenuous exercises also improve cardiovascular endurance.
- Moderate intensity: Aerobic exercises performed at a brisk pace, including brisk walking, cycling, and swimming, provide excellent benefits in lowering LDL and HDL with less stress on the body. Most health organizations recommend regular moderate-intensity activities.
- Lower intensity: Gentle exercises such as leisurely walking, stretching, and light resistance training contribute positively to physical activity goals. Although the effects on cholesterol may be modest, participating in some activity is better than being sedentary.
2. Vary the duration
Adjusting the duration of individual exercise sessions offers different benefits for cholesterol control:
- Shorter duration: Because of its intensity, interval training can positively change cholesterol levels with short workouts of just 10-15 minutes. Vigorous sports such as competitive basketball or tennis also provide cardiovascular health benefits despite their short duration.
- Moderate Duration: To significantly improve cholesterol while avoiding overtraining and the risk of injury, aim for 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise accumulated most days of the week. This balanced approach yields long-term benefits.
- Longer Duration: Spending more than an hour at a time doing lower-intensity exercises like walking, swimming, or cycling burns more calories for weight control while still benefiting cholesterol over the long term. Just be sure to gradually increase the duration.
3. Types of Exercises to Incorporate
For maximum cholesterol-fighting benefits, combine a variety of beneficial forms of activity:
- Aerobics: Emphasizes moderate- to high-intensity rhythmic movements that work large muscle groups and get your heart rate into the target zone. Running, cycling, rowing, swimming, sports, and high-energy dance styles qualify.
- Strength Training: Incorporate light to moderate weightlifting using both free weights and resistance bands. Building muscle boosts your basal metabolism while positively affecting your cholesterol balance. Mind-Body: Gentle exercises like yoga, tai chi, and Pilates improve core strength, balance, and mental perspective while providing a gentle aerobic challenge. These are great for recovery days.
