Cardio Exercise
Cardio aerobics represent an important part of any serious attempt to lower cholesterol, no matter if you’re trying to do it with or without medications. If you’re trying to get your cholesterol levels under control with lifestyle changes alone, then using cardio aerobics should pretty much make sense. But why would you have to implement an exercise program along with a cholesterol lowering prescription? Well, drugs that are powerful enough to control cholesterol are also powerful enough to cause some serious side effects, and the probability of those side effects goes up with the dosage. Therefore, you should keep your medication dosage as low as possible, and that means eating right and a program of aerobic exercise.
Aerobic exercise is exercise that forces the muscles to use oxygen to burn fat and carbohydrates for energy. You’re not trying to damage the muscles so they’ll get stronger, but rather getting the muscles to burn some energy reserves, which is one way to manage cholesterol. The best way to go about this is to use the muscles over a long period of time but without a lot of straining. You should be able to breathe freely and maintain the effort for at least five to ten minutes at a time. In contrast, the sort of exercise that doesn’t use oxygen and does build muscle can only be maintained for a minute or two at a time and usually involves a great deal of strain.
There are a lot of different ways to get a proper level of cardio aerobic exercise, so most people find it easy to use a form of exercise they enjoy. Running is one of the most common methods, especially considering that it’s quite economical. However, it’s certainly not the only one. Bicycling can be quite enjoyable, considering that it is quite low impact on the joints and allows you to see quite a bit of scenery. Swimming is one of the most efficient methods of cardio aerobics because it is the easiest on the body while demanding a great deal of energy. However, no matter what form of aerobic exercise you choose, make sure that it’s a kind of exercise that you can keep up with over the long term.
Cardio aerobic exercise decreases levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, though the mechanism by which it does so is still somewhat mysterious. It also increases vascularization throughout all the skeletal muscles of the body, which increases the circulatory demand and forces the heart to improve in order to keep up. Cardio aerobic exercise also tends to increase the overall levels of energy that you have throughout your day in addition to fighting off depression. An overall exercise plan also tends to change what the body does with extra energy over the long term, which makes physical activity a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. To find out more about cholesterol and cholesterol management visit us at today.
Copyright 2011. Written by Donald Urquhart. All universal rights reserved.