Managing Cholesterol
- Regular exercise helps to lower your high cholesterol. Exercise for 20 to 30 minutes five to six days a week. Jog the paths of your local park. Go to your local gym and take an aerobics class. Enroll in a dance class at your local community college. Swim with your kids and grandkids. Use a stationary bike while you watch the evening news. Plant a flower garden and spend time each day caring for it. You will become more physically fit as you work towards lowering your cholesterol.
- Diet plays a major role in controlling cholesterol levels. Reduce fried, fatty foods. The saturated fats in these foods will increase your cholesterol level. Eat more vegetables and fruit. Place the fruit in a visible place so that you remember to eat them. Steam the vegetables and season them so that they are appealing to your palate. In lieu of white bread, buy or make whole grain bread. Snack on almonds, walnuts and other nuts instead of potato chips. Limit the number of eggs you eat. Eggs have a lot of cholesterol in them. Replace full milk with 1 percent or 2 percent milk.
- Ask your doctor if medication would help your high cholesterol. Crestor, Lipitor and Vytorin are examples of medication that is used to lower cholesterol. Before your doctor prescribes any medication for you, make sure that you understand the side effects. Ask how the medication will affect your cholesterol. Remember that cholesterol medicine should be taken as part of a healthy lifestyle. The medication is not meant to replace healthy diet and living.