In February of 2007, I had a routine check of my cholesterol and found to my shock that it was considered high, at 222. The last time I’d had it checked, a few years ago, it was under 190. This was at the end of a long and slow program of changing my diet and adding exercise to my life in a sustainable way. I’d started in April 2004, and two years later, in the spring of 2006, I went onto the formal South Beach Diet. I’d lost weight and was feeling good—so what was up with the high cholesterol?

What really made me grate my teeth was the litany of lifestyle changes the nurse rattled off as she read my report. “Increase exercise, especially aerobic, cut down on carbohydrates, limit saturated fats, increase fiber and omega-3 oils.” Oh, you mean all those things I’ve been doing for the last three years? Maddening.

After hanging up the phone, though, I reflected on the exercise part. I had been exercising every day for 20 minutes or so, but it was all weight training and not very aerobic. OK, I thought, for one year I will switch my weight training to a 20-minute run, then have it re-checked. Change one variable, make one measurement.

And that’s just what I did. The numbers are in, and the answer is: RUN OR ELSE. My total cholesterol dropped 24 points, to 198, bringing me down into the normal range again. Looks like the daily run needs to remain part of my prescription.

One final footnote, though, before we decry weightlifting as the scourge of the age: the ratio of HDL cholesterol to the total is apparently considered by some to be more important than the total. Back in 2007 that was 31% (68/222); today it is 32% (63/198). Thus, even when my cholesterol was high, the “good” cholesterol (HDL) was also higher, keeping the ratio just about the same.