Control High Cholesterol

The following is an Editorial Resource from YourTotalHealth.

12 Weeks to a Healthier You

Reviewed by: Abdou Elhendy, M.D., PhD, FACC, FAHA

Walking is the universal exercise. It requires virtually no equipment (other than a good pair of sneakers), can be done almost anywhere and demands little athletic skill. Best of all, it really helps increase HDLs and lower total cholesterol, while offering other health benefits ranging from reducing your blood pressure, helping you sleep better, sharpening your mind and helping you lose weight. (Losing weight can also help you improve your cholesterol levels.)

If you walk with a friend and you’ll have a chance for some good conversation and you’ll be more likely to stick with it. Try these tips on creating a program that can improve your overall health:

Before you begin

• Get the go-ahead from your doctor, then mark a start date on your calendar.
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• Buy a good pair of walking sneakers with a comfortable soft upper, good shock absorption, smooth tread and a rocker-sole design that encourages the natural roll of the foot. Try them on at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest, suggests the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. Make sure that your heel doesn’t slip as you walk, you can wiggle your toes and the shoe feels comfortable overall.
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• Get a pedometer; it acts as a natural motivator. According to a recent study from Stanford University people who used a pedometer walked an additional seven miles per week and lost about two to three more pounds than people who walked without a pedometer over an 18-week period.
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Get moving
Step one: Establish a baseline. Wear your pedometer every day for seven days and go about your typical day. At the end of each day, write down how many steps you took. After seven days, the highest number you walked in any one day is your baseline, according to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. For the first two weeks, try to walk 500 more steps per day than that baseline. For most people, this means walking an additional three to five minutes per day.

Step two: Set your goals. Every two weeks, add an additional 500 steps -- or five minutes — to the amount you walk every day. At the end of 12 weeks, you will be walking an additional 30 minutes or about 3,000 more steps every day. Keep a daily log of your walks to monitor your progress.

Step three: Add warm-ups and cool-downs. As you begin walking for longer periods stretches of time, be sure to warm up and cool down. Do not stretch before you walk: Your joints, tendons and muscles may still be stiff and more prone to injury than they will be after you exercise. Instead, do some easy exercises to get your circulation going, such as toe points (alternately pointing and flexing your feet and holding each for five seconds), slow ankle circles and gentle arm circles.

The best way to warm up for walking is simply to start out the first five minutes of your walk slowly, especially if it’s early in the morning and your muscles or joints are stiff. Gradually pick up speed over the first 10 minutes until, by 12 or 13 minutes into your walk, you have reached your target heart rate. (If you can carry on a conversation but not sing easily, you’re probably walking at about the right pace. See Find Your Target Heart Rate for more details.) For the last five minutes of your walk, slow down gradually and stretch your legs and arms gently.

Step four: Pump up the volume. Continue to add another five minutes or 500 steps every two weeks if you can. If you don’t have that much time, increase the intensity of your walk by swinging your arms, walking hillier routes or alternating jogging for two to three minutes and walking for five minutes.

What's Next:  A Primer on Cholesterol-Lowering Medications

• Food & Drug Interactions
  
• Are You at Risk for Heart Disease?
  
• Why Triglycerides Matter
  
• News You Need To Know
  
• The Gender Gap

Review date: 06-25-2008