Last Updated on March 12, 2024 by admin
Blood pressure plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy life. Having healthy blood pressure requires constant effort and discipline. It means you are eating the right foods, avoiding the wrong products & habits, and most importantly, exercising regularly. Making exercise a routine can help you lower blood pressure and give you more energy, and it’s a great way to ease stress and feel better.
And it’s not just about losing your body’s extra waistline and kilograms. Studies show exercising regularly reduces systolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg and deaths from stroke by 14%. However, one should know the right way to exercise. It’s not about hitting the gym or having a personal trainer. While it’s good to have one, simple exercises like brisk walking, jogging, swimming, weight lifting, and biking are excellent ways to maintain blood pressure. We have compiled helpful exercise tips for high blood pressure.
Table of Contents
Controlling High Blood Pressure with Routine Exercise
1. Best Exercise for High Blood Pressure
Different exercises can help manage different types of health conditions. For instance, walking, jogging, rope skipping, bicycling, skating, and water aerobics are the best exercises to lower blood pressure and strengthen the heart. Furthermore, strength training, especially building muscles, can help you burn more calories throughout the day. It’s also good for joints and bones. Stretching and Yoga for BP make you more flexible, prevent injuries, and help you move better.
2. How Often Should You Exercise?
If you are new to exercise, start with moderate activities like brisk walking for at least 30 minutes a day, at least five days a week. However, if you are short on time, vigorous activities like jogging for 20 minutes, 3 to 4 days a week, can help you big time.
3. Is It Safe to Exercise with High Blood Pressure?
Physical activities are essential in managing and preventing blood high blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association (AMA), people who work out for 4 hours or more a week are 19% less likely to have high blood pressure than those who are less active. That said, there are special conditions one needs to consider.
- Exercise-induced Hypertension
Many patients experience exercise-induced hypertension when the blood pressure rises abnormally high during the exercise. While exercise naturally causes a rise in blood pressure, exercise-induced hypertension occurs when the blood pressure reaches over 210 systolic in men and 190 in women. The diastolic blood pressure range for both genders is 110. Thus, it is a risk factor for permanent, severe high blood pressure even when at rest.
- Hypertension Medications
Generally, anti-hypertensive medications work well to normalise blood pressure. However, certain medications can interfere with exercise. For instance, in aerobic exercise, it is prudent to start with a shorter exercise session at an intensity that is challenging and not overwhelming. One should gradually increase the intensity over the weeks.
4. Benefits of Exercise
Regular exercise for blood pressure can help patients with hypertension and heart conditions. Here is how it helps you.
- Lowers blood pressure
- Manages weight
- Strengthens muscles
- It enables you to quit smoking
- Stops or slows down the development of diabetes
- Lowers stress
- Reduces inflammation
To Wrap Up
Hypertension is a critical chronic lifestyle condition that must be dealt with promptly. While medications help manage hypertension, the drug-free approach to high blood pressure management is much more sustainable and helps you in the longer run. However, if you are starting exercise after a long time, you should gradually increase the intensity of the workout so that the blood pressure doesn’t go overboard.
Moreover, it is equally important to consult a physician and advise which exercises you should take up and which you must avoid. Understand dos and don’ts when taking up a new activity. You can also try Yoga for high BP if rigorous exercise is too much for you. However, the most important thing is to follow a routine exercise regime to manage high blood pressure effectively.
