Cutting Cholesterol in Women through Exercise

By Brooke Strickland
Writer for FEP International

It’s something we hear all the time: exercise is good for you. But a new study shows an even greater reward for women that pour sweat into their workouts. Women who participate in as little as one extra hour a week of physical activity have lower amounts of “bad” cholesterol than those who work out less. The study, conducted through the University of North Carolina, examined 9,000 adult women who were relatively inactive. Each hour of moderate exercise or half-hour of hearty activity was associated with a reduction of almost 4 milligrams per deciliter of LDL cholesterol in white women, and more than 10 milligrams for black women. For women who had already gone through menopause, results should 5.9 milligrams for whites and 14.68 for blacks [1].

If you want to combine an extra hour of physical activity into your weekly routine, consider some of these more creative ways to get your blood pumping.

• Take an extra flight of stairs.
• Take a dog for a walk.
• Dance while you’re doing your daily activities.
• Arm wrestle.
• Go hiking.
• Replace your recliner with a stationary bike.

Integrate movement into duties that don’t normally require a lot of movement.
Have fun with it.

And inspire yourself to live well.

Reference

1. Exercise: Workouts May Cut Cholesterol in Women. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/health/research/04exer.html?_r=1&hpw Accessed on the web August 4, 2009.