A simple and effective method to clean the arteries of cholesterol? Thirty minutes of aerobic activity per day. And it will not only be the heart to thank.
Those who do not know it is because they do not want to know: moving is good. Indeed, it is fundamental for the well-being of everyone, at any age.
How many times have we heard this, from doctors and wellness professionals? But, cardiologists recommend, it is even more so for those with a high cardiovascular risk.
The number one medicine
From overweight to osteoporosis, from cardiovascular diseases to diabetes and depression. There is no disorder, even serious, that does not benefit from regular physical activity, even if moderate.
In short, those who want to live a hundred years (and above all healthy) must abandon the armchair for a daily walk of at least half an hour. It will be the healthiest habit we can ever adopt.
If, then, we also have a slightly high cholesterol, moving becomes a real necessity. Here are all the useful tips to get the better of hypercholesterolemia that, silently, undermines our arteries and cardio and cerebrovascular health.
It doesn’t take much, as long as it’s aerobic
To keep the arteries clean there is no need for who knows what sports performance; The essential points are only two: that it is an aerobic exercise and that it is carried out gradually, but almost daily.
The top five of anti-cholesterol activity?
- A good walk
- A bike ride
- Half an hour of swimming
- Cross-country skiing
- Dance
As you can see, there is something for everyone. But if we’re not used to any of this, it’s no excuse to turn a blind eye. There is no minimum level of movement to get benefits: a little activity, whatever it is, is always better than nothing.
We could start by implementing some easy good intentions:
- Avoid using the machine for short trips
- Get off public transport one or two stops before the place of arrival and continue on foot
- Going to work on foot or by bike
- Take the stairs instead of taking the elevator (at least for two or three floors)
- Playing with children (children or grandchildren…)
- Walking the dog along two to three kilometers
At least five days a week
Whatever activity you choose, the difficulty, in general, is not only to be able to do it every day, but above all to continue for years.
As for quantity, the rules of common sense must be followed. Those who only have high cholesterol, can afford to “push” a little more on the accelerator; On the contrary, those who have an unstable clinical situation (for example if a subject is decompensated or suffers from angina), better follow the advice of their cardiologist.
In any case, a rule that applies to everyone is to start, each time, very gradually: this allows you to slowly increase your heart rate and increase your blood pressure slightly.
In this way there is only a slight intensification of the effort of the heart, but it still significantly increases the expenditure of energy.
Reduces fat, improves HDL/LDL profile
In thirty minutes of aerobic work the energy needed to produce heat, which at first is taken from sugars, then goes to exhaust the reserves of fats such as cholesterol.
There will also be an increase in high desity lipoproteins (HDL) and therefore in good cholesterol, with an improvement in the profile between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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