A healthy level of HDL cholesterol guarantees protection against heart disease. HDL cholesterol is instrumental in controlling its bad cousin, LDL cholesterol. Let's learn how to maintain a healthy HDL cholesterol level.
Freedom from heart disease depends on maintaining a healthy balance of the two cholesterols in the blood. We should not do anything to harm the HDL cholesterol, and we must do everything to reduce the LDL cholesterol.
Cholesterol levels can be controlled using chemical intervention in the form of medicines. This is an emergency solution, not a long term solution. Natural, holistic therapies are preferred for cholesterol control. Cardiovascular exercise is the prime example of such therapy. This exercise improves the blood circulation. The improved blood circulation means firstly, more health and secondly, better elimination of harmful wastes like LDL cholesterol.
The American Heart Association recommends a daily dose of thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise to control bad cholesterol. A very different opinion is voiced by Dr. Joseph Mercola. He says that the dose recommended by the AHA is insufficient to control bad cholesterol. Fundamental to his opinion is the mode of exercise, not its duration. Walking in the park for an hour will not get the heart pumping strongly enough to flush out the bad cholesterol. Exercise must make you 'exert' yourself; it must leave you near enough to exhaustion, that you feel breathless. He does issue 3 caveats to go along with this: don't overdo it, each person has to determine his own exertion point to avoid collapsing and complicating an already bad situation, and this must be done under supervision. He agrees with the AHA that cardiovascular exercise must be done regularly everyday for it to be effective to any significant degree.
Most people think that dietary control means limiting the amount of food you have. Not so. The amount is secondary; the kind of food is primary. Include more of mono-unsaturated fats in the food you have, both as food items and in the form of a cooking medium. Omega-3 fats (found in fish) and virgin olive oil are good for health. Be wary of genetically modified unsaturated fats. Do not have or use saturated fats at all.
Some fats like omega-3 fats actually enhance the level of HDL cholesterol. Include fish in your diet because they are rich sources of these beneficial fats. Margarine and creamy and sugary processed food items are bad for HDL cholesterol, and should be restricted. Dietary control coupled with regular cardiovascular exercise will improve your HDL cholesterol level.
What else can you do to improve your HDL cholesterol level? You can change the bad habits that are part of modern life. Cigarette smoking destroys the HDL cholesterol in the blood. Stop smoking to prevent this destruction of beneficial HDL cholesterol. Obesity increases the level of bad HDL cholesterol. Regular workouts can reduce obesity and improve the cholesterol balance.
Last but not least, there is one more lifestyle factor that affects your cholesterol balance. This factor is stress, aka tension. So learn to manage stress in your life. If the stress is bound to the work environment consider changing your occupation. If it's the neighborhood that stresses you out, consider moving. Changing your occupation or your residence is a very big ask, no doubt, but you should consider it seriously for the sake of your health.
This article shows you how to improve the HDL cholesterol level in three simple ways: regular cardiovascular exercise, proper nutrition, and curbing lifestyle excesses. Follow these steps to improve your HDL cholesterol. Once that happens you will be protected from critical heart diseases.
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