You might not know but blood pressure is directly linked to weight or weight gain. While your risk of HPB increases with age, getting regular and the correct exercises can make a huge difference.
However, this does not mean you should head off to the gym and start carrying heavy iron. You’ll need to start off small like taking small walks and gradually incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
Normal blood pressure is less than 120 mm Hg for the systolic (top number) and less than 80 mm Hg diastolic (the bottom number).
Some studies have shown that exercising can positively impact blood pressure positively with the possibility of reducing it from 4 to 12 mm Hg diastolic and 3 to 6 mm Hg systolic.
Now that we can see just how much it can help, let’s get to the kind of exercises you should do to reduce blood pressure.
Brisk walking
Incorporating exercise into your daily routine is one of the best ways to reduce HPB. Exercising reduces the stiffness of the blood vessels allowing for blood to flow throw them easily by increasing heart rate. The results can be seen during and after exercising. Hence experts recommend taking 10 minutes of brisk walking at least three times a day for starters. It even showed to be more impactful than taking 30 mins long walk at a stretch.
Cycling
Same as walking, taking 10 minutes of cycling three times a day will reduce blood pressure.
Swimming
Again, aerobics exercise causes your heart to beat faster thereby reducing pressure on the blood vessels. If you don’t like heat or sweat, you can take up swimming. In a study, swimmers who worked their way up to swimming for 45 minutes recorded their average blood pressure by 9 points.
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Hiking
You’ll need endurance and muscle power to hike up roads, hills and mountains which can be really good for your blood pressure.
Treadmilling or pedalling
For convenience, you can set up a desk-based treadmill to run on for at least 10 minutes every hour. You can also pedal stationary bikes under your desk for at least 10 minutes every hour.
Weight training
While this might sound scary and preposterous, training the heart to become stronger has a direct positive impact on blood pressure. Not only does it increase metabolism, but it also burns fat and builds muscle mass. Weight loss reduces HPB and can help prevent the condition in overweight people. However, please see your doctor before beginning weight training.
Overall, to see results, consistency is very crucial to reducing blood pressure with exercising. “The benefits of exercise are not realized if the exercise is not sustained,” Dr Wesley Tyree, MD, a cardiologist and independent member of the HonorHealth medical staff. A combined 75 minutes of exercising is recommended for best results.
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