Eat To Beat Cholesterol

By special guest writer, Cameron McDonald

 Being active is absolutely essential to good health and cholesterol control. The good news is that you don’t have to be training like an elite athlete to benefit from some physical activity. New research has shown that organised exercise, while beneficial, still isn’t enough to fully protect you from heart disease and poor cholesterol – just standing up could be another crucial piece to the heart disease and cholesterol puzzle. 

Exercise doesn’t have to be hard. To improve your cholesterol levels, the more frequently you exercise the more benefit you will see. Any type of exercise that increases your heart rate (but so that you can still talk comfortably) will aid in increasing HDL cholesterol and reducing triglycerides. You don’t have to exercise at top speed! Studies show most of the benefit comes from the total duration of exercise through the week. Walking for as little as 1 hour over the week will lower your risk of cardiovascular disease.  As you build your confidence, increasing the speed intermittently (e.g. 2 minutes normal pace followed by 1 minute of faster pace) will give you further benefits.

 Reduce your sitting time! Australian researchers have shown that for each additional hour that you watch TV (i.e. sit still) your risk of cardiovascular disease is increased by 18%. The risk of disease, total cholesterol, triglycerides were highest for those who watched more than 4 hrs of TV per day, compared to those who watched less than 2 hours. Another investigation showed that each 10% increase in sitting time is associated with an additional 3.1cm in waist circumference. However, research reported that for people sitting for the same length of time, those who had the most frequent breaks throughout the day (a break = standing up from their chair) were 6cm slimmer at the waist. The risk was still present in people performing regular exercise in their day! Think about all the time you are sitting through the day – breakfast, in the car, at work, at lunch, dinner…time to break it up!

 Make an excuse to be active. Kicking the ball with mates, briskly walking around the shopping centre with bags full of new clothes(!), cleaning the car, gardening, mowing the lawn, golf, table tennis and many others are all great ways to increase your activity levels and are intense enough to promote healthier cholesterol levels .

 Moral to the story:

1. Regardless of your current exercise program, try and increase it by 15 minutes collectively over the next week – every bit will contribute.
2. While you sit still, your health goes backwards – take a break from the chair every 20 minutes. Just standing up and taking a couple of steps a few times each hour could mean a smaller waistline! How easy is that!!!
3. Plan some fun activity for the weekends or through the week. Make a catch up with friends more active, e.g. going for a walk, THEN a coffee; have a picnic instead of eating in; organise group walk/rides with friends on a regular basis; or get stuck into the garden.

However, Take the right precautions: If you have been fairly inactive for a while, don’t go too hard too fast. Start slow, and increase the amount of activity slowly. Build your endurance fitness first (walking, riding, swimming etc) then look to add in strength training after this.

If you are a male over 45 years, female over 55 years, unsure of your cholesterol or blood pressure, if you smoke, are currently overweight or have current muscle injuries you should see your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Ask your GP for a referral to an Accredited Exercise Physiologist. They are the specialists in managing cholesterol and other chronic diseases through safe and effective exercise. You can find one in your area at http://www.essa.org.au. Most sessions are supported by Medicare and private health funds. 

Being active is essential for a healthy heart

 Cameron McDonald – GO2 Human Performance, Everton Hills, Brisbane

Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Accredited Practising Dietitian & Nutritionist

Email: cam.mcdonald1@gmail.com; Phone: 0411380566; Follow me on Twitter (Cam_McDonald)

Medicare rebates and Private Health funds applicable

Servicing Brisbane and surrounding areas.

• Individual consultations (exercise and nutrition)
• Group sessions
• Corporate health presenter and motivational speaker