What are the different types of cholesterol in your body? Do you know what your cholesterol levels are? Do you know Why Your Numbers Matter? Cholesterol can be a contributing factor to heart disease. It’s important to understand your numbers so you can take the best care of yourself. Making simple changes in your daily routine can help reduce your risk of heart disease. Talking to your doctor is the first step so he or she can request blood tests to help determine your risk. One of the tests the doctor may run is called a lipid profile, which checks your body’s cholesterol.

What should my cholesterol numbers be?

• Total cholesterol should be somewhere between 125 to 200 mg/dL
• LDL cholesterol is called “bad” because it can block your arteries. The level should be less than 100 mg/dL. If it starts with “L”, aim for a lower number.
• HDL cholesterol is called “good” because it helps to clear out the LDL (bad) cholesterol. This number should be greater than 40 mg/dL for men and greater than 50 mg/dL for women. If it starts with “H”, aim for a higher a number.
• Triglycerides are fat found in the blood. You want these numbers to be less than 150 mg/dL.

If you don’t understand what your numbers mean, be sure to talk with your health care provider. The more you know about your numbers, the more incentive you have to make any recommended changes.

What Can Cause Unhealthy Levels of Cholesterol?

• Habits like smoking, lack of physical activity, and unhealthy eating patterns.
• Genetics (family medical history)
• Some medications

What Can You Do to Help Lower the “Bad” Cholesterol and Increase the “Good” Cholesterol?

You can make simple changes to your daily routine to help reduce your risk of heart disease.

Eat more heart-healthy foods

1. Eat foods like oatmeal, apples, and pears to give your body more soluble fiber.
2. Add salmon, walnuts, and flaxseed to your diet. These are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids.
3. Eat less red meat and switch from whole or 2% milk to skim milk.

Move!

1. The Mayo Clinic recommends 30 minutes of exercise at least 5 times a week.
2. Find out more about how to fit physical activity into your day

Stop Smoking!

1. There are many different resources available to help you or someone you know quit smoking.
2. Check out how to quit for quitting tobacco tips from A to Z

Drop those extra pounds

1. If you lose just 5% of your body weight, it can help your heart!
2. See what a 5% weight loss can do for your health

Change Takes Time

By making simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, you can help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Change takes time and effort, so don’t get discouraged by trying to make all the changes at once! Pick one habit to work on, such as slowly switching from whole milk to 2% to 1%, then finally to skim milk. Once drinking skim milk becomes part of your everyday routine, choose another habit to work on, such as getting more exercise. Adding a half hour walk in the morning or in the evening is a great way to get you moving. To make the walk even more enjoyable, take your dog with you – pets need exercise too!

Your good health is why your numbers matter. Remember, small changes can make a big difference in improving your heart health. And since February is Heart Health Awareness month, now is a great time to start.

Contributing writer – UF Intern Jennifer Bryson.

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