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You've probably heard it a thousand times. You must have a diet low in saturated fat. However it's not just your diet you need to change to take control of your cholesterol levels. You need to make more drastic changes to your lifestyle in general, such as changing the way you cook and the dreaded big 'E', exercise. Exercise is a must for people who need to lower their cholesterol levels.

Exercise helps you to lower your cholesterol levels in a few different ways. When you exercise you raise the levels of HDL in your bloodstream, and at the same lower your levels of LDL. Getting yourself fit by exercising also boosts your circulation and strengthens your heart, helping your blood flow through your system better, reducing clogged arteries. Scientific research has found that combining a moderate quantity of exercise with a diet low in saturated fat, significantly helps lower cholesterol levels. Plus regular exercise has been shown to raise levels of a certain enzyme which helps reduce cholesterol levels in your bloodstream.

You should aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise, at an absolute minimum of 3 times a week. Moderate physical activity should make you get up a sweat and have you breathing heavily, for example, aerobic activities such as running, jogging, power walking or swimming are all good activities, depending on your current base levels of fitness. These will get your heart rate up and get your blood flowing around your body.

If you really want to add power to your routine, then you can also add some weight training to it. Building and toning your muscles through weight training will help you lose more weight than aerobic exercise on its own. Also having a higher percentage of muscle mass raises your basal metabolic rate, thus you continue to burn more calories once you've stopped exercise than you would normally.

By losing weight and toning up your muscles, you can significantly help lower your cholesterol levels eliminating the bad LDL. But you don't have to lift huge weights, you can start off slow and gradually build up your fitness levels slowly. For example, purchase some ankle and wrist weights of one or two kilos, and go for a power walk. The extra weight will further raise your heart rate, and give your arms and legs more of a work out. The best option however is to join a gym and get a tailored training program from a professional personal trainer.

You need to undertake a number of changes to your whole lifestyle if you want to quickly and effectively lower your cholesterol levels. You don't have to do it all at once, and it doesn't have to be hard work.. If you haven't done any physical training or exercise, then you should ease yourself into an exercise program gently, don't just jump into a hard training program or you could injure yourself. Start slowly and learn how your body reacts to exercise; are you getting a sweat up, is your heart beating fast. If you combine a diet low in saturated fat with moderate aerobic exercise and weight training, you will not only lower you cholesterol, but also boost your confidence and overall health.