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  One of the keys to living a healthy life is maintaining an appropriate cholesterol level. Cholesterol is a healthy component inside the body, but too much in the blood stream can lead to very serious heart issues that can provoke a heart attack or stroke. When your blood cholesterol levels rise, the opportunity to develop heart disease does as well.
  
  

Diet

• Certain foods can help lower cholesterol and improve your heart functionality. Oatmeal is one of the best. It contains soluble fiber. This serves to lower the bad cholesterol. This type of fiber reduces the absorption of cholesterol into the intestines. Consuming 10 grams or more of soluble fiber per day will lower your cholesterol. 1.5 cups of oatmeal will provide you with six grams of fiber. The addition of some fruit will add four more grams.
  
  Walnuts have been shown to help reduce cholesterol by significant proportions. According to the Food and Drug Administration, eating about a handful (1.5 ounces, or 42.5 grams) a day of most nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts, may reduce your risk of heart disease. Nuts also carry a high calorie content so stick to just eating a handful. For the next salad that you make use nuts instead of croutons and cheese.
  
  

Exercise

• The incorporation of a routine exercise program has been proven to lower cholesterol. Exercise burns large amounts of calories and unwanted fats from the body. This helps reduce stress and weight. Cholesterol levels and being overweight are often synonymous with each other. When you're overweight, metabolism stops functioning as it should which affects how your body deals with cholesterol and fat.
  
  A healthy routine simply needs to involve 20-40 minutes of consecutive activity for at least three days per week. This can be walking, jogging, golfing, yard work, tennis or any other activity that you can enjoy. The goal is to elevate your heart rate for this entire period of time. This increased strength in the heart and improves blood flow and metabolism.
  
  

Stress Relief

• Too much stress causes the body to release chemicals that alter the blood flow in the body. The result is higher blood pressure and less blood cycling through the heart. The best method is to make an effort to avoid high stress situations. When you must deal with an unpleasant scenario that raises your stress level, practice some breathing exercises that help your body function properly.