Sitting too much
Sitting for long periods, whether you exercise during the day or not, is related to poor cholesterol levels. This means that even if you have exercised for an hour in the early morning, finding short breaks to get up and exercise scattered throughout the day is still very important.
A sedentary lifestyle increases cholesterol by reducing the level of good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) and the enzyme lipoprotein lipase - a type of enzyme involved in the process of fat digestion. When this enzyme level drops, fat will not be processed effectively, causing the accumulation of triglycerides (neutral fats) in the blood.
If work requires sitting all day, you can apply simple ways to reduce negative impacts such as trying to stand up or walk for a few minutes after each working hour; bring a water bottle when standing up to walk to both exercise and replenish water for your body.
If the workplace has a lift table, you should take advantage of it to stand and work for a certain period of time. For people working at home, taking advantage of break time to do some simple housework is also considered useful exercise.
Not getting enough sleep
When the schedule is busy, many people often choose to reduce sleep hours to finish work. However, frequent lack of sleep directly affects blood fat index.
Poor sleep can increase bad cholesterol (LDL) levels. Poor sleep quality is also harmful to the cardiovascular system.
To improve this situation, you should prioritize getting enough sleep from 7 to 9 hours each night by simple ways such as setting a fixed time frame to relax in the evening; going to bed earlier; maintaining regular sleep hours every day, avoiding being sleep-deprived for a whole week and then trying to make up for sleep on weekends.
Frequently skip breakfast
Skipping breakfast can disrupt blood cholesterol levels and adversely affect cardiovascular health. Meanwhile, breakfast is an ideal time to supplement soluble fiber - an important nutrient that helps prevent and eliminate bad fat from the body.
