Exercise

Cardiovascular health benefits from exercise. Not only does it increase physical fitness and help in the fight against obesity, but it also lowers bad LDL and raises healthy HDL.

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise to decrease cholesterol. One study found that 20 overweight women who exercised for 12 weeks with both aerobic and resistance training had lower levels of particularly dangerous oxidized LDL. They worked out three days a week for 15 minutes each doing aerobic exercises like walking, jumping jacks, resistance band work, and low-intensity Korean dance. Even low-intensity activity like walking can boost HDL, but the benefit is increased when the exercise is longer and more intensive. The heart rate during aerobic exercise should ideally increase to about 75% of its maximum. And a 50% maximum effort should be used during resistance training.