Red Hot Tips Point: I Just Found Out I Have High Cholesterol. Now What Do I Do?

Sunday, September 6, 2009

High cholesterol levels can lead to heart attack and stroke. That's the bad news. The good news is that these diseases do not manifest themselves over a period of days or months but over a period of years. If you have risk factors such as age, sex or family history, or you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol levels there are steps that you can take to get it under control. We have put together a list of the things you should start doing or think about doing. You don't have to adopt them all at once, start with what is most pertinent to your situation and go to the next steps as you progress. This way you will develop a sustainable cholesterol lowering program that you can stick with. Become committed to a lifestyle change that will give you years of good health.

1. YOU NEED TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR NUMBERS MEAN

It is suggested that people over the age of 20 have their cholesterol checked every 5 years. If you have known risk factors for high cholesterol or your test results are of concern you should have this done more frequently. The American Heart Association reports that people with a cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL are twice as likely to experience a heart attack as people with a cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL. Knowing what your numbers are today and where you want them to be will help you measure the success of your program.

2. PUT A LITTLE TIME INTO RESEARCH

People that are diagnosed high cholesterol will tend to accept any program that their doctor first recommends. If your results are off the charts immediate intervention is certainly needed. In other cases it is suggested that you take the time to understand the options that are available to you. Doing this will help you formulate a program that you can maintain with over the years.

When it comes to our cholesterol levels some thing we can control and others we can not. We can not control our age, gender or family history. Things that you can control are diet, weight and exercise. You need to understand that lifestyle changes are things that are going to need to happen.

Cholesterol is something that our bodies need. It is used to bind cells together, produce hormones and manufacture substances that aid in the digestion of food. The two types are LDL (bad) cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol. Do you know that lowering HDL levels can actually be bad for your heart? Do you understand that most of the cholesterol that our bodies need is manufactured in our livers and the rest comes from diet? These are the types of things that you need to understand, and with the help of your doctor, formulate a plan that works for you.

3. SHED THAT EXTRA WEIGHT

Being overweight interferes with the normal metabolism of fats. Research shows us that loosing those extra pounds most of us are carrying around will reduce our cholesterol levels. Even if we reduce our fat intake we may not see a reduction in levels of cholesterol until we shed those extra pounds. Do not fall for the latest fad diet that is being promoted. Loosing as little as 5 to 10 pounds will have a positive affect on your cholesterol level. The easiest and healthiest way to loose weight is at the rate of ½ to 1 lb. per week.

4. ADOPT AN EXERCISE PROGRAM

While a high intensity workout has been shown to actually increase levels of HDL (good) cholesterol it is not always necessary to do this. Something as simple as walking can help loose weight, lower cholesterol as well as being good for your heart. A 30 minute walk 5 times a week will do wonders for you. Whatever you enjoy doing physically such as running, dancing, bicycle riding or swimming will get your heart pumping. This is an area where you can consult with your doctor to come up with a plan that fits your current physical ability.

5. UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD FAT AND BAD FAT

If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol your doctor is going to tell you to reduce your fat intake to reduce your numbers. Cutting back on some fats are better than cutting back on all fats. This is because there are basically two types of fats.

Saturated fats are the ones produced by animals. We get these from items such as meat, chicken, butter and milk to name a few. These are the types of fats that we want to cut back on. The other type of fats are monounsaturated fats. These types of fats come from plants and we get them from canola oil, olive oil, peanut butter and nuts. These types of fats actually can decrease our LDL (bad) cholesterol while at the same time increase our HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

In conclusion, to lower your cholesterol levels you need to be committed to it. It is going to involve lifestyle changes that you will have to accept but the rewards will be beneficial to both you and your family. I wish you the best of luck.