Exercise and High Blood Pressure - How Does Exercise Helps?

Posted on January 21, 2008

There is a direct correlation between our age and the risk of getting high blood pressure (Hypertension). We cannot control our aging process, but we can take steps to lower our chances of getting high blood pressure. Exercising regularly is beneficial to our health. Besides preventing high blood pressure, it can also help us to lower the possibility of getting cardiovascular disease and stroke. If you are a high blood pressure patient, exercising regularly helps to control your condition.

How does exercise helps?

Doing physical exercises regularly can decrease your blood pressure pressure by an average of 10 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg). This is equivalent to some of the high blood pressure medicine that people are taking. For some patients, this drop in their high blood pressure is adequate for them to eliminate the need for those medications.

A person who exercises regularly has a stronger heart compared to a person who does not exercise regularly, ceteris paribus. A stronger heart has the ability to pump a greater amount with lesser effort. Therefore, your heart will have a lighter workload and thus in turn less pressure will be on your arteries.

If your blood pressure is within the healthy range: less than 120/80 mm Hg. Then, exercising regularly will maintain your healthy blood pressure as you grow older. Another useful point is that you will be able to possess a healthy weight which is another key factor in having healthy blood pressure.

The critical thing is that you need a period from one to three months of regular exercise to be able to see an effect on your high blood pressure. This effect will disappears when you stop exercising. What counts?

Flexibility and strengthening exercises are key components in a fitness plan, but aerobics are actually needed to control your blood pressure. However, there is no need for you to spend a huge amount of time. One easy way is to introduce moderate physical activities in your daily life.

Any physical activity that increases your heart and breathing rates is considered aerobic. Examples are: swimming, walking, jogging, sweeping the floor, mopping the floor. Devote at least half an hour daily to such activities. If you are really tight for time, do bear in mind that shorter period of such activities are also beneficial.

Keep exercise safe

If you have not been exercising regularly, you should start slowly. Warming up and cooling down are important. Increase the intensity of workouts slowly.

Always seek your doctor advice when you want to try strength training or other resistance exercises. These exercises might raise your blood pressure especially if you hold your breathe while doing them. Stop and seek immediate medical care if you experience any warning signs during exercise, including:

” Severe shortness of breath
” Chest pain or tightness
” Dizziness or faintness
” Excessive fatigue
” An irregular heartbeat
” Pain in an arm or your jaw

Monitor your blood pressure by checking it regularly either by visiting a doctor or use a home blood pressure. Check the blood pressure before exercising to ensure accurate readings.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading and avid researcher of high blood pressure treatment. He runs an informational website that provides free tips to lower your hypertension and unbiased reviews on medications such as Toprol XL. To grab your FREE report on how to prevent and treat high blood pressure, make sure you visit Alvin’s site at http://www.minusbloodpressure.com

Article Author :Alvin_Hopkinson