A Routine To Lower Cholesterol And Blood Pressure

Everything seems fine until you get your bloodwork back from your doctor and you see that you are borderline or even high on your cholesterol. How has this happened? You’ve been doing everything right — or so you thought.

The average American does not typically meet the necessary daily fiber intake (25 grams for women, 30 grams for men). The average American also eats more palatable foods that raise cholesterol, such as the following:

• Refined grains: breads, cakes, pies, cookies
• Fat and sugar combinations: most desserts, chips,
• High-fat, low-carb eating patterns
• Large food proportions in general

It also doesn’t help that the typical sedentary lifestyle that we have in our modern lives, is an active contributor to these biomarkers.

What’s a millennial [or insert your generation here] to do?

I’m going to give you some tough love here.

Resistance.

Resistance training. Resisting the urge to just sit and veg out for your recovery days instead of engaging in an active rest day. Resisting the temptation to take the elevator/escalator. Resisting the thought that you will be awkward in making new friends and a new community as an adult. Resisting the urge to buy the cheap junk food instead of the healthier options (more on this later).

We have to start with owning our health decisions. But most of all, we have to start.

Of course, there are plenty of instances where high cholesterol and blood pressure just run higher than average, otherwise known as hereditary. That is not what I’m talking about.

I am talking about the controllable factors that you hold in your daily decision-making.

You have the power to take your lifestyle medicine every single day.

This is not to say throw out your heart medication today and make a complete 180.

Your cholesterol and blood pressure are the sum of your habits that you have had for years, potentially even decades.

It took you a while to get here, so it may take you a while to improve.

Thankfully, if you just make the decision to make daily 1% improvements to your lifestyle, you will see dramatic change, tenfold overtime.

Now…onto the hot items!

Focus on fiber intake.

Fill your diet with legumes, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and vegetables that you typically don’t eat for biodiversity.

According to Harvard Medical School, “soluble fiber becomes a thick gel in our intestines, which slows digestion (which keeps blood sugars from spiking) and traps fats so they can’t all be absorbed (which lowers cholesterol levels).”

My personal favorite hack is buying an organic slaw mix and just tossing it into whatever I’m eating.

Pro tip: throw any vegetables into your favorite savory meal (i.e pasta, stir fry, Buddha bowls, etc.). You really can’t taste it.

Limit alcohol.

Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure by several points as well as reduce the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.

If you have started your wellness journey already in hopes of improving your health, alcohol impairs your protein synthesis, making it nearly impossible for muscle growth or fat loss.

This is not to say completely cut it out, though that would significantly help, but consider, leaving it as a treat to only be indulged on occasion instead of as a daily dessert or night cap.

Incorporate movement throughout the day.

Exercise lowers blood pressure over time, despite the initial spike during exercise.

Check out the Workout Snacks graphic above for some easy-to-incorporate ideas!

What really is going to help you is your muscle mass. If you lack adequate muscle in your body, your bone density is going to suffer and is going to make it easier for you to get injured.

This is why I recommend resistance training as the heartbeat of your movement. Your muscles need a stimulus to grow in any capacity.

Prioritize quality sleep and stress management.

Poor sleep quality actively contributes to hypertension.

So to get the quality sleep your body needs, try the following:

• Get sunlight exposure soon as you wake up
• Wear a blue light blocking glasses before you go to bed if you intend on having screen time before going to sleep
• Don’t drink alcohol or smoke before bed. These disrupt your sleeping pattern.
• Create a sleep schedule. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time each day as much as possible.

High stress is also a massive contributor.

It’s easy to say be less stressed, but it is our responsibility to be our own source of joy.

Are you ready to resist against the grain? Are you ready to take back control of your health?

If so, leave me a comment! Follow me here on Medium or on Instagram and Lemon8 @wellnessaudrey.

We have to start with owning our health decisions. But most of all, we have to start.