Eating
differently and getting a cholesterol treatment
supervised by your doctor will help
to lower your cholesterol. However, to stay
heart healthy and lower your
cholesterol in the next thirty days, you’ll need to
make some changes
to your lifestyle in order to reap
the maximum benefits. Luckily, a few
easy-to-make changes are all that you’ll need
to start reaping
big cholesterol-lowering benefits:
1) Exercise. Your heart is a muscle, and
like any muscle, it will get stronger with
exercise. You can
protect your heart - even if you have high
cholesterol - by
exercising a little every day or every few
days. A simple
twenty minute walk can
work wonders. You may also want to
indulge and join a gym
club to make exercise
more automatic. Try to
find exercises that
will get your heart
working without being
too strenuous.
Always make sure
that you speak with
your doctor before
starting an exercise
routine (you may need
to ease into a regimen
if you are out of
shape) and always
choose an exercise that
you’ll enjoy so that
you can stick with
it. Some people
find that changing
their exercise routine
and trying new forms of
exercise will make it
easier to stay
motivated. Consider walking,
hiking, swimming,
exercising with a video
tape, yoga, horseback
riding, cycling,
jogging, rollerblading,
ice skating, skiing,
rowing, and other
activities that are
low-impact and heart-healthy.
2) Reduce salt. Sodium products can cause hypertension and other
conditions which are dangerous for those who
already suffer from
high cholesterol. Start paying attention
to how much salt you add to foods and how much fat is contained
in the food you eat. You’ll be amazed at how much salt
is added to your food. You likely
do not even notice the salt in your meals, since our taste for
salt is cumulative - the more salt we eat, the more we crave and
the more salt it takes for us to enjoy our
food. Actually, once you have lowered
your salt intake for a few months, you’ll likely notice that much
of the food you used to like is much too salty!
Many food critics claim that the high sodium content in the Western diet derives from the fact that we eat so much food which is not very high quality or very tasty in itself. You can cut out the salt in your diet by choosing foods that are naturally high in flavor. You can also add flavor by adding raspberry vinegar, fresh herbs, peppercorns, and vegetable broth (sodium-reduced or homemade with no salt) to food. This same flavoring can be used instead of fat for a healthier meal. You can also find salt-free and sodium-reduced products at your grocery shop and local health food shop. They make a nice alternative to your usual high-salt products.
3) Maintain your proper body weight. Keeping your body at its ideal size will help you to control cholesterol.
4) Drink water. Doctors agree that keeping yourself healthy by drinking lots of water is an important part of maintaining your body's function. Besides this however, drinking water will make you feel full so that you do not overeat and drinking water instead of high-salt and high-sugar drinks will keep you in better health.
5) Stop smoking. Smoking slightly increases your cholesterol and puts an intense strain on your heart and lungs. You cannot be heart-healthy if you smoke.
6) Do not be afraid to add a glass of wine to your dinner once or twice a week. Research proves that alcohol in moderate amounts can help to lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good cholesterol levels. Some research has also shown that some forms of alcohol may reduce the risks of coronary disease and may even act as antioxidants.
This doesn’t mean that you should take up drinking, however - other measures will have equally cholesterol-lowering qualities, without you having to consume alcohol. Just try not to assume that you must cut alcohol from your diet to lower cholesterol.
If you are taking cholesterol lowering or any other medications,
make sure to ask your
doctor or pharmacist
whether the medication
will react with
alcohol. Also be
aware that drinking
more than one drink a
day won’t lower your
cholesterol levels and
may prove more harmful
than beneficial.
7) Watch out for
coffee. Some studies
suggest that coffee may
contribute slightly to
higher levels of bad
cholesterol whilst
having no effects on
good cholesterol
levels. If you have
trouble giving up
coffee, at least make
sure that you drink
filtered coffee, as
many studies have
suggested that it is
the coffee oils in
coffee that can lead to
elevated cholesterol
levels. Also, do your
best to cut back on
coffee, and drink it
with non-fat or low-fat
milk products.
Coffee - whether
filtered or not - has
been shown to have
detrimental effects on
overall health and the
fat in coffee cream
will certainly not help
you in your goal of
lowering bad
cholesterol levels.
5) Start a herb garden. Whether you grow a small herb garden in your yard or in a window box, having fresh herbs at hand can help you reduce the amount of animal fat and salt you add to your food. Fresh herbs can add plenty of flavors to your low-fat cooking and most contain a number of nutrients that are good for your overall health. Moreover, studies have shown that living in an apartment or home with live plants is good for your general health.
6) It does sound trite, but staying positive and happy with your life can also reduce stress levels (which are detrimental to your heart) and can encourage you to take the steps needed to lead a full and active life. However, changing your lifestyle and eating habits in response to high cholesterol can be emotionally draining.
Making an added effort to look after your emotional health can make this process a bit less daunting. If your emotions and moods swing wildly as you adjust to a cholesterol-lowering lifestyle and diet, seek a therapist or speak to your doctor to find help.
Now for the next step which addresses the
Importance Of Working With Your Doctor For Lower Cholesterol
