Cholesterol lowering exercise has three basic functions, to lower triglycerides and LDL, lower blood sugar, and to raise HDL cholesterol. Any form of exercise that does those three things will help.
Most of the studies on exercise and cholesterol were done on aerobic exercise like running or jogging. These activities are reported to lower LDL between 5-10%, and raise HDL cholesterol from 3-6%. These are estimates in a range of results, so your individual results may be more or less than this.
The important thing is that any activity is beneficial, and you have to modify the type of cholesterol lowering exercise to suit your individual circumstances. For instance, if you have injuries or orthopedic problems, you might want to do some kind of exercise in a pool that is non impact like swimming, or other water exercise. Even walking is preferable to being idle.
With that said, lets look at what types of cholesterol lowering exercise is best and what makes these forms of exercise so effective.
This form of exercise utilizes oxygen as you go and will raise HDL cholesterol. It is the most studied form of exercise to help prevent heart disease. However I would caution that aerobics can be overdone, and have negative effects on your hormonal system if you do them too long at a slow steady pace because it raises cortisol which is a stress hormone that is bad for the heart.
Interval training is a great compromise as it can increase heart and lung function, but will not negatively effect your hormonal system. Interval training utilizes short intense bursts of exercise followed by a slowdown or rest period.
Heavyhands and kettlebell training are two examples of exercise that use interval training rather than steady state cardiovascular exercise. Intervals are not specific to the exercise device or equipment, rather it is exercise pace and timing that makes interval training so effective.
A good example of this is the PACE program of Dr. Al Sears M.D. This program utilizes a form of interval training to raise peak fitness and prepare the heart and lungs for occasional bursts of intense activity.
It is the stress of sudden intense activity in an unconditioned person that is most likely to trigger a heart attack, so getting the body used to handling this stress can protect against it.
Kettlebell training is my favorite form of cholesterol lowering exercise, because it combines strength training with cardiovascular exercise at the same time. It will help maintain muscle mass, which will lower triglycerides by keeping blood sugar low.
As I mentioned previously, you can do interval training very effectively with kettlebells but you have to be cautious and make sure you use proper technique as these exercise implements can be tricky to handle. I strongly suggest you either get professional instruction, or purchase a good book or DVD that teaches how to do these exercises properly.
Kettlebell training can help raise HDL cholesterol because of the cardiovascular aspects of this exercise. Since you cannot adjust the weight of a kettlebell, you will need to come up with creative ways to make the exercises more intense and physically demanding. This form of training seems to be very effective for burning stored bodyfat , which is important when exercising for heart health.
The Bottom Line
Cholesterol lowering exercise can range from light simple exercise like walking to intense exercise like intervals or kettlebell training. The most important thing is that it fits your physical limitations, lifestyle, and individual needs.
Start easy and keep it simple, but get moving and make regular exercise a part of your life. You will look and feel better, and will lower cholesterol naturally.