Hypertension, all of which are highly prevalent in the elderly, is now becoming younger and younger. A recent sample survey of hypertension conducted in hospital outpatient clinics in China showed that among the new cases of hypertension, there are more and more patients aged 35-45, accounting for 63%, and 1/3 of them never thought they would be involved with hypertension before visiting the clinic.
In young people, poorly controlled blood pressure can have a huge impact on health. In the long term, they are more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and other diseases in the future. During hospital visits, doctors will urge young patients to exercise properly, but mostly for various reasons, there is no clear prescription for exercise. In fact, young people with few underlying diseases and high life expectancy are well suited to control blood pressure through exercise.
How does exercise affect blood pressure?
Regular exercise makes the heart’s muscles more developed, making it easier to meet the demands of the systemic blood supply, thus reducing arterial pressure and lowering blood pressure. Exercise can lower systolic blood pressure (commonly referred to as “high pressure”) by about 4-9 mmHg, which is similar to the effect of some antihypertensive medications. For blood pressure that is already normal (less than 120/80 mmHg), exercise can help maintain this healthy state and not increase with age. In addition, regular exercise can help maintain weight, which is important for blood pressure control.
We don’t need to spend a lot of time in the gym every day, or become athletic all of a sudden. We just need to spend some time every day to arrange some exercise will play a very good role in blood pressure control.
1, brisk walking or jogging is the most practical
For people who have just started to exercise, aerobic exercise is recommended. The oxygen we breathe has enough time to enter the bloodstream and reach the tissue cells to fully burn sugar, fat, protein and other “fuels”.
In general sense low intensity, long time exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, slow cycling, slow swimming, yoga, group exercise, etc. are aerobic exercise; among them, the most practical is brisk walking or jogging, ready for action.
Compared to aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise is mainly some strength training such as weight lifting, barbell, etc.. When strength training, blood pressure will temporarily increase, the degree of increase depends on the size of the weight, but hypertensive patients should not completely reject strength training.
Patients with well-controlled hypertension based on regular exercise can gradually increase weight training under professional guidance. For young hypertensive patients with a “general belly” or apple-shaped body, strength training is effective for fat burning and improving insulin resistance, which can help with long-term blood pressure control. But remember, must be in a stable blood pressure control, while there are professionals to guide the situation, to avoid accidents.
2, how to determine whether the amount of exercise is enough?
The amount of exercise recommended by the American Heart Association is
(1) A total of no less than 150 minutes per week, that is, two and a half hours of moderate intensity exercise.
(2) Or a total of 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise.
(3) A combination of moderate and vigorous intensity is fine.
If possible, maintain a total of at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day of the week. You can measure the intensity of your exercise based on your heart rate, which is generally 75-80% of your maximum heart rate (220-age). Or, you can use your own feelings, i.e., “you can still talk to people during exercise, but you are not straining.
Measure your strength, safety first
1. Plan according to medical advice
It is important to have a physical assessment and seek medical advice before making an exercise plan. High blood pressure accompanied by the following conditions, you need to go to consult a doctor’s opinion.
(1) Overweight or obese.
(2) Acute or chronic disease of the heart or lungs.
(3) Symptoms such as chest discomfort or dizziness when walking.
(4) Having a close family member with heart disease before the age of 55.
(5) Taking other medications.
(6) Smoking.
(7) Uncertainty about their own physical condition.
2.Avoid two blood pressure peaks
Try to avoid two blood pressure peaks in exercise time, one is the first few hours after waking up (6-9 am) and the other is 4-6 pm. One peak time in particular is in the morning, when the incidence of cardiovascular disease is highest, and is especially important to avoid. We can monitor our blood pressure at multiple points in the day and choose our appropriate time period to exercise.
3, moderate control of exercise intensity
Exercise intensity should be appropriate, each exercise intensity to maintain a few days or 1-2 weeks and then gradually increase the intensity of exercise. The entire exercise process to breathe naturally and easily, especially weight training can not hold your breath, holding your breath will lead to a sudden rise in blood pressure.
4, monitor blood pressure changes
Measure blood pressure before exercise, avoid high blood pressure in the case of exercise, at least one hour after exercise and then monitor blood pressure changes.
5, pay attention to the prevention of sports injuries
Pay attention to the correct posture to avoid sports injuries. Pay attention to the warm-up before exercise, after exercise to have relaxation exercises.
6, the occurrence of accidents in a timely manner to suspend the movement
The following conditions occur during exercise, you must promptly discontinue exercise and seek medical help nearby: chest pain or chest tightness, dizziness or fainting, arm or jaw pain, obvious shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, excessive fatigue.
It’s a constant battle
A good habit takes at least some time to develop. For young hypertensive patients, exercise should not start with more and faster, you can choose the easiest jogging or brisk walking as a start, and then gradually add richer forms of exercise after you have developed a habit.
Maintaining the ideal blood pressure is a long-term process, and the only way to keep it stable is to develop good exercise habits and keep exercising. If you stop exercising for two weeks, your strength will begin to decline; after several months of stopping, the effect of exercise on blood pressure control will also disappear.
Finally, I would like to remind you that hypertension is a comprehensive prevention and treatment disease, not only from the regular exercise to do, but also pay attention to the balance of diet and nutrition and psychological guidance. Combined with the necessary medication, young people must have the belief and perseverance to control hypertension for long-term health.