Three Common Factors Why Lowering Cholesterol Can Be Difficult
For many people, lowering cholesterol is a priority for maintaining health and preventing cardiovascular disease. However, despite efforts in the form of diet, exercise, and avoidance of medications, many people find it difficult to lower their cholesterol. In this post, we will look at three major factors that can impede successful cholesterol reduction.
The First Factor Is a Person’s Physical Activity Score
The first factor that affects the effectiveness of cholesterol reduction is the proper assessment of physical activity levels. Many people mistakenly believe that they are sufficiently active and exercise regularly if they go to the gym 3–4 times a week and walk a short distance there on a treadmill or other cardio equipment.
However, in order to achieve positive metabolic results and get an aerobic effect from exercise, more intense cardio workouts are needed. Such activities include running, walking, biking, swimming, using exercise bikes and ellipticals, skiing, and other exercises that should be performed every day.
The most effective is regular walking, which should be done for at least an hour and a half every day. In addition, it is important to add strength exercises for all muscle groups to the training program, which should be performed at least three times a week. This will further strengthen your muscle mass and increase your metabolism, which helps to lower your blood cholesterol levels.
Walking is one of the most accessible and simple types of physical activity. With the right approach, it can bring significant health benefits to a person. However, in order to get the maximum benefit from walking, it is necessary to choose the right intensity and duration of exercise.
The intensity of walking plays an important role in achieving the desired results. To be considered effective, the speed of walking should be fast enough to cause shortness of breath but still allow you to keep up the conversation. At the same time, the duration of such a walk should be at least an hour and a half.
If you cannot spare an hour and a half for walking every day, it is better to divide this period into several short workouts to get the maximum benefit from physical activity. If walking is not suitable for you for any reason, you can replace it with the walking equivalent of other physical activities such as running at an indoor track or exercising on an elliptical trainer or exercise bike. The main thing is that you find the time and opportunity to exercise regularly.
The walking equivalent is the level of physical activity that corresponds to walking for an hour and a half. In order to determine your level of physical activity, you should engage in any activity at a heart rate that equals 180 minus the person’s age. For example, if you are 50 years old, your pulse rate should be 130 beats per minute.
It is recommended that you maintain such a heart rate for one and a half hours each day. If exercise seems too hard, you can lower your heart rate slightly to 125 beats per minute. If it seems too easy, you can increase your heart rate to 135 beats per minute.
Why exactly 180 minus your age? This formula is based on the aerobic threshold, which is the heart rate at which a person provides their energy needs through aerobic oxidation. By maintaining this heart rate for an hour and a half every day, you can achieve significant improvements in health and fitness.
The Second Factor Is Your Nutrition
The second point relates to the importance of proper nutrition. Many people believe that they eat right, but when you start asking them questions and making a food diary, it becomes clear that they are not always aware of what and how much they eat. The details of such a plan can slip through the cracks. Instead of paying attention to the little things that may be individual to each person, it is better to focus on the general principles of good nutrition.
In order to lower cholesterol, you need to create an energy deficit — consume fewer calories than you spend. In doing so, the production of cholesterol in the liver will decrease because it will turn off the enzymes responsible for its production.
As for foods that can be eaten when lowering cholesterol, fruits such as apples, citrus fruits, berries, apricots, strawberries, cherries, etc. are good choices. Leafy green vegetables should also be included in the diet and can be consumed without restriction. Vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, onions, bell peppers, carrots, and radishes can also be consumed.
It is recommended to make salads in large portions as they are an excellent and healthy choice for a meal. For salad dressings, it is best to use vegetable oil such as olive oil, sunflower oil, or any other unrefined oil to your taste.
As for proteins, you can enjoy white chicken meat (such as skinless chicken breast), turkey (also skinless), or veal. You should also consider fish, low-fat cottage cheese, and egg whites.
When choosing cereals, whole-grain cereals such as buckwheat, wild rice, millet, oatmeal, and pearl barley should be preferred. You can also use bulgur, which is coarse crushed wheat. These foods are whole grains and can be made by simply boiling them. You can also add lentils or some legumes.
It is important to note that when cooking cereals or legumes, you should not add sauces or butter; just use regular vegetable oil. In addition, you should not worry that the portion may be too large because you will eat only as much as your body needs.
It is recommended to pay attention to the composition of the foods in your diet to get enough nutrients. Fruits are a source of vitamins, fructose, and carbohydrates, and it is recommended that you eat them only in the morning. Whole grain foods are also recommended to eat throughout the day to get the right amount of plant proteins, fiber, and many vitamins.
Vegetables are an important source of vitamins and fiber. Additionally, plant fats such as vegetable oil are also vital for maintaining health. Also, do not limit the amount of protein you get; just be sure to choose white meat or fish. Note, however, that this diet may be lacking in carbohydrates alone. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you are getting enough carbohydrates to meet your body’s needs.
The Third Factor Is the Physical Inability to Exercise
The third factor is the physical inability to carry out exercise. This can be due to musculoskeletal conditions, a weakened body due to age, or other conditions such as anemia or cardiovascular disease. In these cases, it can be difficult to change the situation.
Another frequent question is that of hereditary hypercholesterolemia, a disorder of cholesterol metabolism, which can appear in two forms: homozygous and heterozygous. The homozygous form is characterized by more serious manifestations such as early heart attacks and strokes, while the heterozygous form may only result in high cholesterol levels.
In hypercholesterolemia, the bad cholesterol (low-density lipoproteins) cannot be utilized by the body’s cells because there are no receptors that bind to it and allow the cells to absorb it. This leads to the circulation of bad cholesterol in the bloodstream and its deposition on the walls of blood vessels, which can cause damage.
People with a heterozygous form of hypercholesterolemia can have a total cholesterol level as high as 8–9, and even with exercise and dietary control, they may have difficulty lowering it. In such cases, treatment with drugs that can lower cholesterol and prevent possible serious consequences is often recommended.
Conclusion
In conclusion, lowering cholesterol can be a challenge, but understanding the common factors that interfere with this process can help you reach your goals. It is important to remember that diet, physical activity, and heredity can greatly affect your body’s cholesterol levels.
Evaluate your diet and the amount of physical activity you get, and you can learn about your family medical history to develop the most effective plan of action to lower your cholesterol. If you are having trouble reaching your goals, do not hesitate to seek help from your doctor or a nutritionist, who can help you develop a personalized action plan to improve your heart health and reduce your risk of disease.