Do you wish to lower your BP by as much as 20 points? Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most efficient methods for accomplishing this aim. You can calculate it by using the BMI calculator at the bottom of this page to determine your body mass index.
Wesley Tyree, MD, an independent cardiologist and member of the HonorHealth Medical Staff, suggests the following six workouts or activities to improve heart health. They'll help you lose weight and keep it off, and they'll make your blood pressure more manageable, too.
- Walk quickly for 10 minutes three times a day, for a total of 30 minutes.
In order to lower blood pressure, regular exercise relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow. The positive effects of exercise are felt most strongly during and immediately after the session. Typically, the greatest reduction in blood pressure occurs right after exercise has been finished.
Therefore, experts speculate that breaking your workouts up into several shorter sessions spread throughout the day would be the most effective method for lowering high blood pressure. One study found that walking for thirty minutes three times a day was more effective than walking for thirty minutes once a day in reducing future increases in blood pressure.
- Daily cycling or riding on a stationary bike, or three 10-minute sessions daily
The same line of reasoning used when walking can be applied here.
- Going on a walk
Whether it's a road, a hill, or a mountain, using more muscle power to up the slope is a great way to get in shape. Exercising in general has been found to lower blood pressure, but hiking in particular can lower it by as much as 10 points.
- Exercises on a treadmill or pedalling at your desk
Using desk-based treadmills to walk at a modest rate of one mile per hour for at least ten minutes every hour or pedalling stationary bikes under a desk for at least ten minutes per hour resulted in even better blood pressure readings in a study. At the very least, ten minutes of every hour was spent on each of these pursuits.
- Lifting weights
Weightlifting and other forms of resistance training have been shown to reduce blood pressure, which may seem counterintuitive at first. While strength training does raise blood pressure for a short time, the benefits of increased fitness outweigh the risks.
- Taking Part in a Swim Meet
Another study found that this form of exercise can help those aged 60 and up keep their blood pressure in check. Over the course of 12 weeks, swimmers built up to swimming continuously for 45 minutes at a time. By the end of the study, the trial swimmers had reduced their systolic blood pressure by an average of nine points.
Dr. Tyree's statement that “the benefits of exercise are not realised if the exercise is not sustained” provides support for the ‘use it or lose it' idea. If you stop working out for more than two weeks, you may lose the progress you've achieved. The current guidelines suggest that adults should get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate or 75 minutes per week of strenuous physical exercise.
