Alternate Ways To Lower Cholesterol

By Marc Preston

Lowering cholesterol without drugs is possible through changes in your diet, but if you add other non-dietary strategies, your efforts will be accelerated. Although a specific diet is the best way to lower cholesterol, there are other ways you can help yourself to reach your goal of maintaining healthy levels of cholesterol without resorting to prescription medication. One the best ways to do this is with aerobic exercise to lower cholesterol. It´s not a substitute for dietary changes however, but part of an overall package program that if followed, will give you the desired results. It´s all about your biology, and your commitment.

In addition to the many other benefits, aerobic exercise raises your HDLs, the 'good' cholesterol, which in turn lowers your LDLs, the 'bad' cholesterol. This is accomplished through strengthening your heart and cardiovascular system, which improves circulation of more richly oxygenated blood. Cardio-oriented exercise makes your arteries and veins more elastic and pliable, and less likely to allow buildup of plaque from those nasty low density lipoproteins, or LDLs. This type of exercise causes your liver to produce more HDLs too, which 'vacuum' away LDLs in the process.

Other benefits of aerobic exercise are:
1) reduced stress
2) reduced body fat
3) improved muscle tone
4) improved blood pressure
5) make you feel more rested and relaxed
6) improved quality of sleep

The types of aerobic exercise that qualify are running, brisk walking, jumping rope, bicycling, rowing, swimming, and cross country skiing. Tennis, racquetball are good too, but these do punish your joints more, and are not recommended for the long term. It is always a good idea to stretch before any form of exercise. This limits the chances of muscle pulls, and helps make your ligaments more elastic while increasing their range of motion. The optimal aerobic workout frequency is 5 times a week for 30 minutes, but much of the aforementioned benefit will come from an every other day schedule for 20-30 minutes.

It turns out the mind is a powerful tool to manage every conceivable physical affliction.
The non-aerobic, meditative exercise, yoga, can have a positive effect on your cholesterol too. Cortisol is the hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress. A consistently stimulated cortisol response will produce many adverse effects in your body. Through the ancient art of quieting the mind, the practice of yoga effectively reduces stress, anxiety, and the production of this potentially harmful hormone, and therefore is automatically a cholesterol reducer.

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About The Author
Marc Preston has been a nutritional expert for over 25 years. He is dedicated to educating readers on the benefits of healthy nutrition and lifestyle. This article provides basic but important information about cholesterol and its effects. Please visit our website for more FREE information about cholesterol at www.secretsofcholesterol.com

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