One of the most important ways you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke is by lowering high cholesterol levels. Making certain lifestyle changes can help lower elevated cholesterol readings.
Making smart lifestyle changes might be more impactful than you think. In fact, they can even help you avoid the need for cholesterol-controlling medications.
If you’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, try these changes:
Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet
Diet is a huge contributor to your cholesterol levels. Lower your consumption of saturated fats, which are typically found in red meat and full-fat dairy products. You should also limit trans fats, which are often present in processed sweets and snack foods. Instead, incorporate a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, fish and nuts in your diet. Limiting the amount of sugar and salt you add to foods can also be helpful.
Get Active
Living a sedentary lifestyle lowers the “good” HDL cholesterol, which is important for removing “bad” LDL cholesterol from your blood. Try to get a minimum of moderately intense exercise for at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. Examples of moderately intense exercise include swimming, running, cycling or brisk walking. There are many easy ways to fit exercise into your life, even if you are busy.
Quit Smoking
Smoking has a negative impact on a variety of fronts, including cholesterol. Smoking or being around someone who smokes actually lowers HDL cholesterol. Kicking the habit raises good cholesterol levels, all while lowering other heart-related risks such as high blood pressure.
Keep a Healthy Weight
Your weight has an impact on levels of both “good” and “bad” cholesterol. Being overweight or obese raises LDL cholesterol and lowers HDL cholesterol. The weight loss doesn’t have to be drastic to make a difference. Even losing just 10 percent of your weight can improve your cholesterol numbers.