Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of ExerciseHow Much Exercise You NeedWhy Exercise HelpsEffectivenessOther Natural Options
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types of Exercise
How Much Exercise You Need
Why Exercise Helps
Effectiveness
Other Natural Options
Exercise can lower cholesterol. Specifically, the right amount of routine exercise can lower your “bad"LDL cholesterolwhich clogs arteries while increasing “good"HDL cholesterolwhich helps clear bad cholesterol from the body. Exercise can also help lowertriglyceridesthat, with high LDL and low HDL, contribute to the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Regular exercise paired with a healthy diet and other lifestyle changes can significantly improve your cholesterol levels within months. To ensure the right level of activity, speak with your healthcare provider who can design a program appropriate for your age and fitness level.
This article describes the types of exercises (and how much is needed) to lower your cholesterol. It also explains how exercise reduces cholesterol and other natural ways to do so without medications.
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Exercises That Improve Cholesterol
There is no set “cholesterol workout,” but there are three types of exercise that will reap the most benefit if you havehigh cholesterol. Study results vary, but some suggest that routine exercise performed at least three times weekly can significantly reduce high cholesterol levels after two to six months.
Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic exerciseinvolves exercising large muscle groups rhythmically and repetitively. It increases your heart rate and how much oxygen your body uses. Doing so can increase the production of HDL cholesterol which, in turn, helps clear more “bad” cholesterol from your body.
Depending on your age and fitness level, appropriate aerobic exercises may include:
Strength Training Exercises
Strength training exercises, also known asresistance training, are used to build muscle. Studies have shown that regular resistance training has the same effects on HDL as aerobic exercise, corresponding to decreases in LDL levels.
Depending on your age and fitness level, activities that can help build muscle and strength include:
Flexibility Exercises
In fact, a combined exercise program involving stretching, aerobics, and strength training has been shown to be more effective in lowering cholesterol than each exercise on its own.
Flexibility exercises may include:
How Much Exercise Do You Need to Improve Cholesterol?
The key to reducing cholesterol with exercise is consistency and a progressive increase in intensity and duration. “Plateauing” or keeping at the level can result in diminishing returns over time.
The American Heart Association (AHA) issued the following recommendations for exercise in adults:
To help guide you, speak with your healthcare provider who can design an individualized plan based on your age and fitness level. A personal trainer can help guide you to attain your short- and long-term fitness goals.
How Exercise Helps Improve Cholesterol
There are two main types of cholesterol in your blood:
Of these, “good” HDL cholesterol can absorb “bad” LDL cholesterol and carry it back to the liver for elimination from the body in stool. This can reduce the level of cholesterol that would otherwise clog arteries and increase the risk ofatherosclerosis, heart attack, and stroke.
Exercise can also cause positive changes
There is also evidence that exercise, specifically aerobic exercise, can decrease the absorption of “bad” cholesterol in the intestine from the foods you eat.
How to Exercise to Boost HDL Levels
How Effective Is Exercise in Lowering Cholesterol?
Studies have shown a direct correlation between the type and amount of exercise you do and the effect it has on your cholesterol levels:
Other Natural Ways to Lower Cholesterol
Exercise is not the only lifestyle change that can lower your cholesterol without medications.
The AHA offers the following “heart-healthy” guidelines that may not only improve your cholesterol levels but your general health as well:
Even with these interventions, some people may still have high cholesterol. In such cases, medication likestatinscan be added to the treatment plan to help you reach your target goals.
Summary
Your healthcare provider or a personal trainer can help determine the appropriate workout goals based on your age and fitness level. The program should aim to increase the duration and intensity of workouts to achieve the best results.
Why Is My Cholesterol High?
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.HDL (good), LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med.2014;44(2):211–221. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Albarrati AM, Alghamdi MSM, Nazer RI, Alkorashy MM, Alshowier N, Gale N.Effectiveness of low to moderate physical exercise training on the level of low-density lipoproteins: a systematic review.Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:5982980. doi:10.1155/2018/5982980National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Physical activity and your heart: types.Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Center for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.American Health Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.Mashnafi S Plat J, Mensink RP, et al.Effects of an 8-week aerobic exercise program on plasma markers for cholesterol absorption and synthesis in older overweight and obese men.Lipids Health Dis.2021;112:2021. doi:10.1186/s12944-021-01537-2American Heart Association.Life’s Essential 8 - how to control cholesterol fact sheet.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.HDL (good), LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med.2014;44(2):211–221. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Albarrati AM, Alghamdi MSM, Nazer RI, Alkorashy MM, Alshowier N, Gale N.Effectiveness of low to moderate physical exercise training on the level of low-density lipoproteins: a systematic review.Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:5982980. doi:10.1155/2018/5982980National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Physical activity and your heart: types.Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Center for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.American Health Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.Mashnafi S Plat J, Mensink RP, et al.Effects of an 8-week aerobic exercise program on plasma markers for cholesterol absorption and synthesis in older overweight and obese men.Lipids Health Dis.2021;112:2021. doi:10.1186/s12944-021-01537-2American Heart Association.Life’s Essential 8 - how to control cholesterol fact sheet.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Heart Association.HDL (good), LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med.2014;44(2):211–221. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Albarrati AM, Alghamdi MSM, Nazer RI, Alkorashy MM, Alshowier N, Gale N.Effectiveness of low to moderate physical exercise training on the level of low-density lipoproteins: a systematic review.Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:5982980. doi:10.1155/2018/5982980National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Physical activity and your heart: types.Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5Center for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.American Health Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.Mashnafi S Plat J, Mensink RP, et al.Effects of an 8-week aerobic exercise program on plasma markers for cholesterol absorption and synthesis in older overweight and obese men.Lipids Health Dis.2021;112:2021. doi:10.1186/s12944-021-01537-2American Heart Association.Life’s Essential 8 - how to control cholesterol fact sheet.
American Heart Association.HDL (good), LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides.
Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med.2014;44(2):211–221. doi:10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5
Albarrati AM, Alghamdi MSM, Nazer RI, Alkorashy MM, Alshowier N, Gale N.Effectiveness of low to moderate physical exercise training on the level of low-density lipoproteins: a systematic review.Biomed Res Int. 2018;2018:5982980. doi:10.1155/2018/5982980
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Physical activity and your heart: types.
Mann S, Beedie C, Jimenez A.Differential effects of aerobic exercise, resistance training and combined exercise modalities on cholesterol and the lipid profile: review, synthesis and recommendations.Sports Med. 2014;44(2):211-21. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0110-5
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.What counts as physical activity for adults.
American Health Association.American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.
Mashnafi S Plat J, Mensink RP, et al.Effects of an 8-week aerobic exercise program on plasma markers for cholesterol absorption and synthesis in older overweight and obese men.Lipids Health Dis.2021;112:2021. doi:10.1186/s12944-021-01537-2
American Heart Association.Life’s Essential 8 - how to control cholesterol fact sheet.
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