
News Topical, Digital Desk : In today's fast-paced and unhealthy lifestyle, high cholesterol has become a common problem. High cholesterol levels are a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses. But the good news is that even small lifestyle changes can help lower cholesterol levels.
In fact, diet and lifestyle play a major role in increasing cholesterol. Therefore, if these are improved, cholesterol levels can be reduced. Let's learn about the lifestyle changes necessary to reduce cholesterol.
Make smart changes to your diet
As you know, diet directly affects your cholesterol levels. Therefore, it's important to focus on your diet to lower cholesterol.
- Avoid saturated and trans fats - Try to limit the amount of unhealthy fats in your diet. Avoid processed foods, fried foods, red meat, and full-fat dairy products. Choose healthier alternatives instead.
- Increase your fiber intake – Soluble fiber lowers bad cholesterol in the body. Include plenty of oats, oatmeal, kidney beans, apples, oranges, pears, and vegetables in your diet.
- Embrace healthy fats – Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats help raise good cholesterol. Include walnuts, almonds, flax seeds, salmon, mackerel, olive oil, and avocados in your diet.
regular physical exercise
Physical inactivity contributes to bad cholesterol. Regular exercise not only lowers bad cholesterol but also increases good cholesterol levels.
- Start with small goals – If you don't want to join a gym right away, that's okay. Start with a brisk walk of 30-45 minutes daily .
- Don't just do one exercise a day—include cardio (such as cycling, swimming, jogging) on some days of the week and strength training (such as bodyweight exercises, yoga) on others. Among yoga poses, Surya Namaskar, Kapalabhati Pranayama, and Ardha Matsyendrasana are particularly beneficial for lowering cholesterol.
- Small ways to stay active – use the stairs instead of the lift, walk to the nearby shop, take a break in the office and take a short walk.
Weight and stress management
Excess weight and stress both contribute to high cholesterol levels, and controlling them is crucial to lowering cholesterol.
- Lose weight - If you're overweight, losing just 5-10% of your weight can significantly improve your cholesterol levels. A healthy diet and regular exercise will help with weight loss.
- Say goodbye to stress - Long-term stress can increase cholesterol levels in the body. To reduce stress, practice meditation, deep breathing exercises , get 7-8 hours of sleep, and make time for your hobbies.
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