Triglycerides are an often overlooked lipid in the blood that can be an indicator for heart disease. Triglycerides may be deposited on artery walls leading to increased heart attack and stroke risk. The challenge is to lower your triglycerides naturally using nothing more than lifestyle modifications.

After you have eaten, unused calories are turned into triglycerides and stored in fat cells. They are released again when you need to burn more energy. Eating a lot more calories than you need for energy production and consumption may lead to high levels of triglycerides. You doctor will be able to do a triglyceride test as part of a cholesterol test. A high level can be anything from 200 to 500 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). A normal range is between 100 and 149 mg/dL.

How can you lower triglycerides in the body? Usually a doctor will not prescribe you a pill since high levels can be successfully managed through a combination of weight loss, exercise and correct diet. A low cholesterol menu will also fit the purpose of lowering high triglyceride test results. Here are some suggestions:

• Alcohol can raise triglyceride levels, so it is not on the menu.
• Eat less sugar and refined products.
• Reducing the amount of calories you eat will reduce triglycerides.
• Use monounsaturated fats found in olive oil and canola oil.
• Increase your ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids by eating more fish or by using a high quality fish oil supplement.

 

Regular exercise can take many forms and speeds. The important thing is that you have to do it regularly. This means most days of the week. For example, walking at a fast pace for 20 to 30 minutes each day is possible. Walking for an hour each day may not fit into a busy schedule. Walking is an easy physical exercise.

You can decrease the amount of time needed by doing moderate to high intensity exercises every other day. You can spend 15 minutes per session doing a few sets of push-ups, squats or sit-ups. Anything that will increase your heart and respiration rate. Be careful not to overdo it and hurt a tendon or sprain an ankle. Start slow and gradually increase the pace over the course of a few weeks.

If you find an exercise or sport that you enjoy doing, just keep doing it. Forcing yourself to do an exercise you do not enjoy just leads to frustration and quitting. Do not do anything, just do something.

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