Exercise
Part 2 in our month-long series on cholesterol as part of Heart UK’s National Cholesterol Month.
This week we look at cholesterol and exercise. Can exercise help to lower cholesterol?
Yes it can! Getting your blood pumping by doing exercise will reduce your cholesterol. Being active helps your body move the bad cholesterol to your liver where it can be removed out of your system.
Exercise can improve your health in many ways. Being active is a major part of looking after your cholesterol levels and keeping your heart healthy.
Did you know that regular exercise can…
- Raise your HDL cholesterol levels – that’s the good cholesterol which removes fat from your arteries
- Lower your LDL cholesterol, the bad type of cholesterol that gets laid down in your arteries
- Help you to lose weight or stay a healthy weight
- Help you lose fat from around your middle, which is important for heart health
- Lower your blood pressure
- Lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes or help control it.
How much physical activity should we do?
- Adults should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of intense activity every week.
- Children and people under 18 should aim to do at least one hour of activity every day.
- Under 5’s who can walk without help should be active for at least three hours a day, spread throughout the day.
- A good way to achieve 75 minutes of intense activity a week would be to do 2 Les Mills classes such as Body Pump or Body Combat.
- Moderate intense activity means you get your heart rate up but you shouldn’t be out of breath. Swimming, water aerobics, tennis, cycling and low impact exercise classes such as our Les Mills Body Balance, Pilates and Yoga Stretch classes, as well as our Non Impact Aerobics & Conditioning are all good choices.
Remember, whatever exercise you do, start slowly and build up. And of course, take advantage of one of our Free Gym Journeys (for all members) with a qualified instructor who will help you develop an exercise plan.
Next week we’ll dive deep into food and see how different foods can lower your cholesterol. Spoiler alert….you can eat chocolate as part of a healthy diet! Phew!
See you next week and see you at the Club soon,
