Cholesterol - 2 - Condition & Symptoms

Possible Action Steps

Learn about the best, borderline-high, and high ranges for high cholesterol
Compare best target range with individual's actual blood cholesterol level
Together, review individual's risk factors for high blood cholesterol and atherosclerosis. Circle the risk factors that would be easiest to change. Underline the factors that would be hardest to change.
Discuss the importance of using more than one strategy to control high blood cholesterol if lifestyle changes don't bring about healthy cholesterol numbers (Hint: using blood cholesterol lowering medications plus making lifestyle behavior changes)
- Learn how smoking and other tobacco products contribute to high blood cholesterol
- Learn how a diet high in animal fat contributes to high blood cholesterol
- Learn why being overweight (too many food calories plus inactivity) contributes to high blood cholesterol
- Learn how stress can make high blood cholesterol levels even higher

Supporting Resources

Possible Action Steps

Encourage skills that will help individual link high blood cholesterol with risk factors that can be changed (hint: weight, smoking, blood pressure, physical activity)
Identify and track risky behaviors that contribute to high blood cholesterol
Individual can identify one high risk behavior to work on/reduce
Identify a healthy way to respond to stress and try it out a few times in the upcoming week. Remember how it felt
Buy or borrow a blood pressure cuff and learn to use it. Practice taking blood pressure readings on self and others.

Supporting Resources

Possible Action Steps

On a daily basis, pay attention to your behavior/lifestyle risk factors that contribute to high cholesterol
Pay attention to the time spent each day doing things that increase blood cholesterol level (hint: smoking, being inactive, eating high fat/high calorie foods, responding to stress in unhealthy ways)
Start thinking about the risk factors for high blood cholesterol - do they contribute to other health problems as well? (hint: obesity, lung cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, etc)
Notices any decrease in cholesterol level as healthy behaviors start to replace unhealthy behaviors

Supporting Resources

Possible Action Steps

Take every opportunity available to get blood cholesterol tested. Write down the result each time (hint: health fair, doctor/clinic visit, employment physical exam, etc)
Track blood pressure readings using a blood pressure tracker
Replace a high fat/high calorie snack with fresh fruit at least three days each week
Each week, replace one or two servings of food that comes from animal sources with food that comes from plant sources
Buy or borrow a heart-healthy cookbook and learn to make a few of the meals
Look for heart-healthy food choices on menus
Get a pedometer and start counting steps taken per day. Work to increase daily step count by 250 steps per day each week
Limit the number of cigarettes smoked each day or smoke just 1/2 (or less) of each cigarette
Replace whole fat dairy foods (milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream) with low or non-fat alternatives
Replace regular chips with baked chips
Eat smaller portions of animal foods and foods that are greasy or fried

Supporting Resources