Great question! I'm also wanting very much to control my cholesterol. My biggest challenge is two fold. The good tasting yet oh so bad food that I adore and my lack of time and energy to exercise. Sigh. Those are my challenges. Ha. I started a challenge on a forum here if you are interested to try to get myself and others to get themselves going on their health goals.
So, we know that for many (not all), diet changes can impact cholesterol. Avoiding fast food is an easy one to accomplish first. Avoiding processed things like chips, cookies, crackers, etc. is the next. Lots of us have a hard time with this. Obviously, red meat and too much animal fat in general is also recommended to decrease. Then my doctor is big on exercise to raise HDL which in turn, lowers overall cholesterol. The American Heart Association says 30 minutes of exercise 5 times a week. I shoot for that as my minimum. My doctor says she doesn't care what you do, but do something regularly. Walking the equivalent of a mile doesn't take that long and that can be considered a good starting point if your doctor okay's you to exercise.
What are your goals, Mona?