Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

There are some things that cannot be changed, and your genetic inheritance is one of them.  If you are at risk for high cholesterol due to the genetic makeup inherited from your ancestors, then that is a fact.

This is of concern because high cholesterol puts you at risk for heart disease and heart attacks.  Often, cholesterol must be controlled with medications, However, at already at a high cholesterol level or not, on medication or not, you can usually lower your cholesterol levels by several points by making some simple lifestyle changes.  

1.  Get Regular Exercise:  Participating in regular physical activity such as gardening, walking, or swimming, or in a formal exercise program, has several well-documented health benefits.  Some of these benefits affect your cholesterol levels indirectly or from another angle, but exercise can reduce cholesterol levels itself.  Even something as simple as squeezing in a few short exercise sessions daily can help produce results.

2.  Lose Weight:  It has been shown that losing as little as 10 lbs can help reduce cholesterol levels, and exercise is one of the more effective strategies for healthy weight loss.  That's one of the indirect aspects of exercise mentioned earlier.

3.  Eat Right:  Hey!  Here we go again.  Healthy eating helps promote weight loss.  Healthy weight loss can help encourage interest in exercise, as can getting the proper nutrition.

A general rule of thumb for healthy eating is that the closer to the source the food is, usually the better for you it is.  Get rid of trans fats generally found in fried foods and bakery products.  Select lean cuts of meat, low fat dairy products, and exercise portion control.  Eat a wide range of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  By all means, read the labels!  Pick foods with lower cholesterol levels.  For example, I was buying one brand of a certain product I used daily until I read the label and found that it had a much higher cholesterol level than another brand which provided the same nutrients.

4.  Keep Alcohol Consumption at Low Levels:  It has been found that a low level of alcohol consumption, generally no more than one or two drinks a day, can be of some health benefit and can help increase "good" cholesterol.  Red wine has an ingredient, resveratrol, which apparently helps protect cells against the effects of aging.  However, high levels of alcohol consumption can lead to serious health problems, including high blood pressure, heart failure and stroke. 

5.  Don't Smoke:  As an ex-smoker, I cannot beat on this drum enough!  If you already smoke, stopping smoking can improve your HDL cholesterol level. The health benefits don't end there, either. Only 20 minutes after your last cigarette, your blood pressure decreases. Then within 24 hours, your risk of a heart attack begins to decrease. Within just one year, your risk of heart disease is already down to half that of a smoker. It gets even better.  Within 15 years, your risk of heart disease is similar to someone who never smoked.

Generally, lifestyle changes don't cause huge decreases in cholesterol levels, but, given time, they will, in most cases, produce results.  However, as mentioned earlier, some people may need medication to actually reduce cholesterol levels effectively.  Even in those instances, it is still in the individual's best interest to include the lifestyle choices as a part of their plan for good health overall and cholesterol control in particular.