The risk of developing high blood pressure increases with age, but getting some exercise can make a big difference. If your blood pressure is already high, exercise can help control it. Don’t assume that exercise means you have to run a marathon or go to the gym. Instead, you can start slowly and gradually increase physical activity in your daily life.
How does exercise lower blood pressure?
How are high blood pressure and exercise related? Regular exercise enhances heart function. A strong heart can pump more blood while doing less work. If your heart does less work when pumping blood, the pressure on your arteries is lower, which lowers your blood pressure.
The more often you exercise, the lower your systolic blood pressure – the highest value of your blood pressure – will drop by an average of 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mmHg). This is as good as the effect of some blood pressure-lowering drugs. For some people, doing some exercise is enough to lower the need for antihypertensive drugs.
If your blood pressure level is good – less than 120/80 mm Hg
Exercise helps prevent blood pressure from rising as you age. Regular exercise also helps maintain a healthy weight – another important way to control blood pressure. However, regular exercise must be maintained if blood pressure is to remain normal. It takes about one to three months of regular exercise to have an effect on blood pressure. This benefit will only last as long as you keep exercising.
How much exercise do you need to do?
Aerobic exercise is an effective way to control blood pressure. But flexibility and strength exercises, such as weight lifting, are also an important part of an overall health program. You don’t need to do hours of aerobic exercise at the gym every day to reap the benefits. Simply adding moderate intensity physical activity to your daily routine will help.
Any activity that increases your heart rate and breathing rate can count as aerobic exercise, including.
1. Household tasks, such as building a lawn, trimming branches, gardening, or scrubbing floors
2, sports, such as basketball or tennis
3, climbing stairs
4.Walking
5.Jogging
6.Bicycling
7.Swimming
8.Dancing
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, or a combination of moderate and vigorous exercise each week. The goal is to exercise 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. If you don’t have that much time at a time, remember that short bursts of exercise are fine. You can also work out in three 10-minute sessions, which is the same as working out for 30 minutes at a time.
Also, if you are sedentary every day, try to reduce the amount of time you spend sitting. Studies have found that a sedentary lifestyle can cause many health problems. Try spending 10 minutes every hour doing some low-intensity exercise –
For example, stand up and go pour a glass of water, or take a small walk. Consider setting reminders in your e-mail calendar or on your phone.
Weight training and high blood pressure
Weight training can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure during exercise. Depending on the weight you lift, the increase in blood pressure may be significant. But for most people, the long-term benefits of weightlifting for blood pressure control outweigh the risk of temporary increases. And it can also improve other aspects of cardiovascular health, thereby reducing the risk of overall cardiovascular problems. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that strength exercises that work major muscle groups be added to your weekly exercise routine at least twice a week.
If you have high blood pressure and you want to add weight lifting exercises to your fitness program, remember to.
1. Learn and use proper posture. Using proper posture and technique during weightlifting exercises can reduce the risk of injury.
2, do not hold your breath. Holding your breath during exertion can expire dangerous blood pressure surges. Instead, breathe easily and continuously during each exercise.
3, repeatedly lift lighter weights. The heavier the weight lifted, the greater the endurance required, and the higher the blood pressure will rise. You can challenge the muscle endurance by increasing the number of times you lift lighter weights repeatedly.
4. Stop when you can. If you become severely out of breath, or dizzy, or if you have chest pain or tightness, stop the activity immediately.
If you have high blood pressure and want to try weight training, you need to get your doctor’s permission first.