How to Reduce Cholesterol Through Cardiovascular Exercise

According to the American Council on Exercise, approximately 38 percent of Americans have higher than necessary blood cholesterol levels. Cardiovascular exercise has been shown to lower cholesterol levels, both due to losing weight and increased cardiovascular strength. Starting with just a few days a week, you can begin to bring your cholesterol down now. Brisk walking, aerobics, swimming and sports are excellent cardiovascular exercises to help lower and maintain cholesterol levels.

Instructions

• 1

  Start walking three to four days a week. Walk slowly at first, but build up to a brisk pace over a five-minute period to get your heart rate raised. Keep this pace for 10 minutes, breathing steadily. After 10 minutes, slow your pace again for another five minutes to cool down. This will help build you up to more intense cardiovascular exercises. Do this for six weeks before extending your walking time to an hour at a brisk pace every day of the week.

• 2

  Start swimming regularly. If you live near a beach or public swimming pool, you have access to a great cardiovascular exercise every day. If not, you can join a YMCA or a fitness center to access their pool. Swim three days a week for an hour a day. Do this for six weeks or until you feel you can swim longer, then move it up to two hours a day, four times a week. Swimming is the single most complete exercise you can do, and the perfect exercise for lowering your cholesterol.

• 3

  Take an aerobics class. Aerobic exercises are purely cardiovascular, and great for lowering cholesterol. If you have a hard time motivating yourself to exercise, an aerobics class can be the perfect solution. You will have a planned block of time during the week you dedicate to exercise, and the people in your class can help encourage you to achieve your fitness goals. Taking the class with a friend will also help motivate you to get going and get your cholesterol lowered.

• 4

  Play sports or games that get you moving. Basketball, football and water sports are all great cholesterol-reducing exercises. Get some friends to meet up with you for a regular game, or go to a local park and see if you can join in with people already playing. Once in a game, you will find it a fun way to get your exercise in several times a week. Consider even just playing catch with a frisbee or football as a starter to get your cardiovascular system working. Even running and throwing a ball around with a pet is a great exercise to lower cholesterol.

• 5

  Ride a bike instead of driving a car. On your regular trips running errands, consider taking a bicycle instead of your car. Cycling gets the heart rate raised and is as good for you as walking or jogging. Instead of going on family car rides to entertain yourself, try going on family bike rides. Combining this with the other exercises mentioned will lead to better cardiovascular health and lower cholesterol.