Does Exercise Assist With Lowering Blood Pressure?

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Personal/Fitness Training Blog

Your risk of high blood pressure (which is also called hypertension) increases with age, however getting some exercise in can make a massive difference. And if your blood pressure is high already, exercise can assist you with controlling it. Don’t think that you need to be able to run a marathon immediately or join a gym. Rather, begin slowly and work more physical activity into your everyday routine. Lifestyle plays a very important role in terms of treating your high blood pressure. If you control your blood pressure successfully with a healthy lifestyle, you could avoid, delay or lower the need for medication.

How It Works

Frequent physical activity results in your heart becoming much stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood all over your body with less effort. Consequently, the force on your arteries lessens, lowering your blood pressure.

Blood pressure is calculated in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg). Normal blood pressure levels are less than 120 mm Hg for the top figure (systolic) and less than 80 mm Hg for the bottom figure (diastolic). Increasing your levels of physical activity can lower both your top and bottom blood pressure figures. How much lower isn’t totally clear, however studies show decreases from 4 to 12 mm Hg diastolic as well as 3 to 6 mm Hg systolic.

Exercising often also assists you with maintaining a healthy weight — which is another important way to control blood pressure. If you’re overweight, losing even 2.3 kilograms may lower your blood pressure.

In order to keep your blood pressure healthy, you really do need to keep exercising often. It takes around one to three months for regular exercise to have a significant impact on your blood pressure. The benefits last only as long as you continue to exercise.

What Type of Exercise Is Best For Controlling High Blood Pressure?

There are three basic kinds of exercise:

  • Cardiovascular, or aerobic, exercise can assist with lowering your blood pressure as well as making your heart stronger. Good examples include walking, jogging, skipping, bicycling (stationary or outdoor), cross-country skiing, skating, rowing, high- or low-impact aerobics, swimming as well as water aerobics.
  • Strength training builds strong muscles that assist you to burn more calories during the day. Also, it’s great for your joints and bones.
  • Stretching makes you more flexible, assists you with moving better, and assists with preventing injury.

Choose moderate activity, such as brisk walking, no less than 30 minutes a day, no less than 5 days a week. If you’re short on time, vigorous activity, such as jogging, gives you exactly the same benefit in 20 minutes, between three and four days a week.

If you’re not active today, work up to gradually this quantity of exercise. If it takes you a number of weeks to get there, that’s totally fine.

Supportive family and friends can assist with improving your health. They may persuade you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor’s office or embark on an exercise programme with you to make sure that you keep your blood pressure low.

If you find that you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a support group. This may put you in touch with individuals who can give you an emotional or morale boost and who are able to offer practical tips so that you can cope with your condition.

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