How Does Yoga Help To Lower Blood Cholesterol
There is some information on yoga being an effective treatment for high cholesterol. But I would be very cautious about adopting it as your only form of exercise-based cholesterol control.
There are a number of health benefits offered by yoga, but reducing cholesterol is not likely to top the list.
A study published in the Indian Heart Journal did find that one hour of yoga daily for a three-month period lowered the total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL levels and boosted the HDL counts of a group of type 2 diabetics.
However, researchers noted that yoga should be used as part of an integrated approach to diabetes treatment.
Yoga is a great complement to an exercise routine, and can provide some major benefits for overall health in terms of stress relief, mobility, and reduced inflammation. But doing yoga is highly unlikely to lower cholesterol in otherwise inactive people with poor diets.
Some effective yoga asanas may include:
- Sarvangasana
Effective pranayama exercises may include:
- Kapalbhati
- Anulom vilom
Any benefits to cholesterol that might be a byproduct of yoga would be perhaps related to improved circulation, lower inflammation, and better stress management.
Yoga, however, has not been conclusively proven to improve protein synthesis, lead to weight loss, or create the same internal climate as aerobic or anaerobic exercise. It is beneficial to a healthy lifestyle, surely, and is recommended, just not as a steadfast way to lower cholesterol.
Take A Few Laps At The Pool 1 Of The Best Exercises For High Cholesterol
Swimming is probably the most joint-saving aerobic exercise you can do.
In a 2010 study, researchers compared swimming with walking in women aged 50 to 70 years.
They found that swimming improved body weight, body fat distribution, and LDL cholesterol levels better than walking did.
Researchers also looked at the beneficial effects of swimming in men in the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education.
They found that swimmers had 53 percent, 50 percent, and 49 percent lower risk of dying from any cause than did men who were sedentary, walkers, or runners, respectively.
Why Exercise Helps Womens Heart Health
Exercise burns triglycerides in the blood while improving glucose intolerance, says McCorkle, an American College of Sports Medicine certified personal trainer. Too much glucose in the blood can damage vessels, she says. Damaged vessels become a magnet for fatty deposits. The less fat and glucose in your bloodstream, the less likely plaque is to build up in your arteries. Exercise also improves the health of the lining of your arteries, so they can be more protective, Dr. Khera adds. Here are six heart-healthy exercises for women who have high cholesterol.
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Bike Riding Or Cycling:
It is seen that cycling requires same energy as jogging but more comfortable on the joints. Thus, it is often a choice of exercise with increase in age and one of the best exercises for cholesterol lowering. Cycling can be done indoor using a stationary bike or it can be done outdoor with an actual cycle. Cycling can also be incorporated in daily activities by switching to cycling instead of driving while going to work or other places. Studies have shown that individuals who did regular cycling report lesser cases of heart attacks and other heart issues.
How Exercise Lowers Cholesterol
Physical activity is effective at lowering bad cholesterol levels because exercising muscles requires energy, explains Karol Watson, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine and cardiology, co-director of the UCLA Program in Preventive Cardiology, and director of the UCLA Barbra Streisand Womens Heart Health Program. Sugar is the muscles preferred energy source, but once the glucose is depleted, it will start burning fat for energy, she explains. And when fat is used for energy, it can lower LDL and triglycerides, another fat found in the bloodstream and in food. If you have high cholesterol, try these exercises to get your numbers under control:
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Best Exercises To Lower Your Cholesterol
Get maximum fat burn from your workout and your arteries will thank you too
Nicholas Polo is a level 3 PT specialising in personalised fat loss programmes
“A man is as old as his arteries.” It may be 300 years since English physician Thomas Sydenham said this – but is it still relevant today? Hell yes.
Along with veins, our arteries form part of the vascular system. If veins and arteries are pumping blood and nutrients effectively it means we have a good circulation. But, if your circulation isn’t up to scratch neither is your health. That’s when vascular diseases become a risk.
If plaque builds up in the arteries – too much cholesterol is one way this can happen – they narrow and make it more difficult for the heart to work and the blood to flow, which can eventually lead to heart attacks and strokes.
But, it’s not all bad news. Exercise changes the way our circulation distributes blood to our body, so workouts that combat body fat keep arteries healthy. Other ways to protect yourself from the risks of vascular disease can be found at My Vascular Health.
Ideally, you want to try to pick exercises that raise the heart rate while recruiting the most muscles possible for maximum fat burn.
So whether you’re into cardio or weight lifting, here are some effective exercises to help keep you fit and healthy, inside and out.
The best cardio exercises for vascular health
Can’t get to a running track for sprints? Follow our treadmill sprints workout here.
Exercises To Reduce Cholesterol
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What Is Cholesterol And Dyslipidemia
Cholesterol is a type of molecule that is essential to the function of the human body. As with most things, there is an appropriate level of cholesterol that is ideal for the human body to function properly. Dyslipidaemia refers to a situation where the balance of cholesterol is inappropriate for optimal function of the human body.
Dyslipidaemia can include one or more of the following: Increased levels of bad cholesterol Increased levels of triglycerides Reduced levels of good cholesterol
Dyslipidaemia can contribute to atherosclerosis, which is damage to blood vessel walls that can lead to heart disease and stroke. Too much bad LDL cholesterol in the blood can cause fatty build-ups in the artery walls , whereas increased levels of Good HDL cholesterol can reduce that fatty build up in the blood and clear away some of that plaque from the artery wall. High triglycerides are also considered to be a problem, particularly when linked to high LDL or low HDL cholesterol.
Exercise To Lower Cholesterol
Exercise is one of the best ways to lower your cholesterol. It can have a direct impact on your cholesterol levels, but it can also help to improve your heart health by helping you to reach or maintain a healthy weight.
Researchers have found that exercise alone can help to reduce your cholesterol levels. Exercise can stimulate enzymes that remove bad cholesterol out of your blood and into the liver, where it can be broken down and removed from your body. It also affects the proteins that carry cholesterol in your blood. When you exercise, these proteins get bigger, which prevents them from getting into the smaller blood vessels. If the bad cholesterol cant reach these narrow blood vessels then it is less likely to cause blockages.
The effects of exercise are strongest when you are doing more vigorous activities or working out more often, but any amount of exercise will be good for your heart health. It is important to start slowly and build up the amount and intensity of exercise that you do to prevent injuries or putting too much strain on your heart.
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Reducing Cholesterol With Intermittent Fasting
Any form of fasting helps you lose weight, and in turn, can help you reduce cholesterol levels. There are three methods of intermittent fasting:
- Alternate-day fasting
- Periodic fasting
- Daily time-restricted feeding
However, the most effective method is one that can be easily maintained based on your daily routine. A common feature is sticking to an 8-hour eating window, for example:
- Start at 10 a.m.
- End at 6 p.m.
- This way you are eating between the 8-hour window of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and fasting the rest of the time.
Lowering Cholesterol With Diet And Exercise
Exactly how exercise works in improving your cholesterol levels is still not totally clear. Although there have been studies examining the effects of exercise on cholesterol, these studies have also been coupled with other cholesterol-lowering lifestyle changes, such as following a healthy diet or losing weight.
Recent studies examining the effect of exercise alone reveal a few ways that exercise may help improve your cholesterol levels:
- Lipoprotein particle size. Some studies have shown that exercise can change your LDL . Smaller lipoproteins, such as small, dense LDL, have been associated with contributing to cardiovascular disease but having larger LDL particles do not carry this same risk. Studies have shown that moderate exercise can increase the size of your LDL particles, which can help to reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. In one study, a 12-week endurance exercise program reduced small, dense LDL by up to 17%.
- Reverse cholesterol transport. A few studies in mice have suggested that exercise can enhance the transport of cholesterol from the bloodstream to the liver, where it will eventually be filtered out of the body.
- Absorption. A few studies have shown that eight to 12 weeks of endurance exercise may slightly reduce the absorption of cholesterol from the small intestine into the bloodstream. The amount of cholesterol made by the liver does not appear to be affected by exercise.
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High Cholesterol And Heart Health
Cholesterol is a fatty material that is made by the liver. It plays an essential role in our bodies as it is needed to build healthy cells. Cholesterol circulates in the blood to reach all of these cells, but if the levels get too high then it can cause serious problems.
The cholesterol in your blood is carried around by proteins. When the fatty cholesterol is combined with a protein it is known as a lipoprotein. They can be categorised into two types based on the types of proteins that are carrying the cholesterol and where they are going:
- High-density lipoproteins or HDL is the good form of cholesterol because it is moving out of your blood. HDL takes cholesterol to the cells that need it or back to your liver so it can be broken down if you have more than your body needs.
- Non-high-density lipoproteins of non-HDL is the bad form of cholesterol because it can settle inside your arteries and cause blockages when there is too much of it in your body.
High levels of bad cholesterol in your blood can be very damaging for your heart health. It can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks. The cholesterol can form fatty deposits inside your arteries. If too much of this material builds up then it can affect the blood supply to your brain or heart muscle. If these active tissues arent getting enough blood then it can result in a stroke or heart attack.
Should You Try Exercise To Lower Cholesterol Naturally
Disclaimer: Results are not guaranteed*** and may vary from person to person***.
Exercise to lower cholesterol fits nicely into the daily routine of anyone looking to improve their health and lower the risk of heart disease.
High cholesterol is a major contributor to coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke. Nearly half of all Americans over the age of 20 have dangerously high cholesterol levels.
Thankfully, for most, high cholesterol can be controlled naturally with dietary adjustments, weight management, and increases in physical activity.
That said, exercise does not have a direct impact on bad low-density lipoprotein . Instead, it can help increase the amount of good high-density lipoprotein that can help shuttle LDL deposits from the arteries to your liver, where can they can be converted to bile for digestion or expelled from the body.
High cholesterol in America is largely a result of the SAD and sedentary lifestyle.
The SAD is rich in saturated fats and refined sugars that can boost LDL and total triglycerides while easily increasing fat mass. A sedentary lifestyle further contributes to increased fat mass because nothing is happening to all the extra calories being taken inthey are simply not being utilized as energy.
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What Type Of Exercise Is Best For Healthy Cholesterol
While increased intensity can improve your cardiovascular performance, it also has a down side, Particularly for middle-aged and older adults, it puts you at greater risk of injury. So for most people, we recommend moderate intensity activity of significant duration.
What does that mean?
- Do at least half an hour of exercise, five to six days a week, if youre really looking for the greatest benefit
Its much better to do moderate intensity for 30 to 45 minutes than clutch the handle on the treadmill and get your heart rate up into the red zone for five or 10 minutes,. Its really a myth that you have to get your heart rate up to benefit from exercise. You just have to do it.
- When you climb on the elliptical trainer, set the resistance for 3 and the time for 45 minutes.
You may not be sweating as much as the guy next to you, but your cholesterol and triglycerides will be responding just as much as if you were climbing hills.
And, remember, exercise offers your body many more benefits than just cholesterol control.
The effect of exercise on cholesterol is important, but the overall effects are more important, s. Youre getting many other cardiovascular> benefits: lowering your blood pressure, improving diabetes, and reducing your risk of heart attack and stroke. Exercise is really the right elixir.
Try Having One Vegetarian Meal Every Week
Dont let the word vegetarian scare you. By choosing a smartly prepared vegetarian meal, youre hitting multiple cholesterol-lowering goals at the same time, like eating healthier fats and getting more soluble fiber. Plus, many vegetarian meals are just as flavorful and filling as their meaty cousins.
Heres one idea for a low-cholesterol recipe: Try a freshly prepared salad with a sesame vinaigrette and some grilled, spiced tofu. For dessert, add some fresh blueberries, strawberries and oats to low-fat vanilla yogurt.
The key here is to build up a routine, like making every Tuesday night vegetarian night. Once that becomes the norm, try expanding to different nights, or add a weekly vegetarian lunch, too. You can also be flexitarian by just eating smaller portions of meat. Over time, these modifications can really add up and pay off.
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How Can Exercise Help My High Cholesterol
Exercise, together with healthy eating, can play a very important role in managing dyslipidaemia. Exercise has the following benefits on your cholesterol:
Regular physical activity has been shown to increase HDL cholesterol. If you exercise and achieve weight loss, this will also help to reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
A Faster & Easer Solution For Healthier Cholesterol Levels
There are a few ways for promoting healthier cholesterol levels within a normal, youthful range – diet and exercise being two important factors.
Unfortunately, they take time and most people are either NOT patient or need faster results, with less effort…
This is the exact problem I ran into with my own parents.
Because of this, I needed to find a simple, easy and fast solution for promoting healthier lipid levels in less than 30 days, without the use of harmful prescription drugs, worthless supplements or following a restrictive diet.
If this is something you’re also interested in, you can easily copy this “proven formula”, implement it and start seeing and feeling results within days…
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Easy Ways To Lower Cholesterol
PintrestSetting a goal is importantIndulge more in physical activitiesStress is your biggest enemyEat a healthy breakfastWalk daily as it is great for your healthLimit your egg intakeInclude lean meat in your dietMaintain an ideal weightweight lossBeans are helpfulOpt for a vegetarian dietSleep wellGreen tea is beneficialEat fishAvoid alcohol