Exercise: Intensity or amount to improve Cholesterol?

As a personal trainer, I strongly believe in the power of exercise on health and weight control. I not only see the results of consistent exercise in myself, but again and again see it in my clients, as they progress and start to include regular exercise in their daily lives.

Two studies are discussed that focus on the effects of different levels of exercise on cholesterol/blood lipid levels.

The first study was published in the October 2005 issue of Chest and compared the effects of three different exercise regimens, differing in amount and intensity, on fitness improvements. Study subjects were 133 overweight men and women who had mild to moderately increased blood cholesterol levels. These people were split into 3 amount and intensity groups and also included a control group.

The improvements in oxygen capacity was greater in the higher intensity groups, but even the moderate intensity group improved over the control group, leading researchers to encourage even this amount of exercise in people who are not active. They further felt that either increasing the amount/duration of the moderate intensity exercise, or increasing the intensity can both yield additional separate but combined effects on the markers of aerobic fitness that were studied.

The second study was published in a November, 2002 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. It also concluded that it wasn’t the intensity of exercise that was responsible for the decreased blood lipid profiles, but the amount of activity subjects took part in.

For anyone who is looking for a way to either improve their blood cholesterol levels or their weight, these studies further support that some exercise is better than more.

There are two messages, here: If you do exercise and are not happy with the results you are seeing, increase the amount. For those of you who do already work out 4-5 days a week, it may be time to pick up the pace.

If you do not exercise and am ready to start, make sure to get the green light from your healthcare provider, first. For some people, you may need to just start at walking slowly for just 5 minutes a day. It’s not just the body that must adapt, but your habits must be created, so the mind must get used to getting ready and going out to do the activity. There’s no better time than now to begin, though.

To read the abstract from Chest, click here.

For the New England Journal of Medicine abstract, click here.

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