How to Lower Blood Pressure with exercise
HAVING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND NOT GETTING ENOUGH EXERCISE ARE CLOSELY RELATED. DISCOVER HOW SMALL CHANGES IN YOUR DAILY ROUTINE CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE.
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Your risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) increases with age, but getting some exercise can make a big difference. And if your blood pressure is already high, exercise can help you control it. Don’t think you’ve got to run a marathon or join a gym. Instead, start slow and work more physical activity into your daily routine.
HOW EXERCISE CAN LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
How are high blood pressure and exercise connected? Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.
Becoming more active can lower your systolic blood pressure — the top number in a blood pressure reading — by an average of 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). That’s as good as some blood pressure medications. For some people, getting some exercise is enough to reduce the need for blood pressure medication.
If your blood pressure is at a desirable level — less than 120/80 mm Hg — exercise can help keep it from rising as you age. Regular exercise also helps you maintain a healthy weight, another important way to control blood pressure.
But to keep your blood pressure low, you need to keep exercising. It takes about one to three months for regular exercise to have an impact on your blood pressure. The benefits last only as long as you continue to exercise.
EXERCISE TIPS TO LOWER BLOOD PRESSURE
Exercise is one of the keys to lower your blood pressure. Working out also boosts the effectiveness of blood pressure medication if you’re already being treated for hypertension. You don’t have to be an athlete, either.
PUT THE FUN BACK IN EXERCISE
Find activities you enjoy, and aim for 30 minutes a day of “exercise” on most days of the week. If you can’t stand the gym, not a problem. Dancing counts. So do yoga, hiking, gardening, and anything else that gets your heart beating a bit faster. Since you’re going to be making it a habit, pick things you’ll want to do often. Let your doctor know what you have in mind, so they can make sure you’re ready.
GET STRONGER
Strength training should be part of your routine. You can use weights, weight machines, exercise bands, or your own body weight by doing abdominal crunches or curl-ups. You’ll lose body fat, boost muscle mass, and raise your metabolic rate. Losing as little as 10 pounds can lower or help prevent high blood pressure if you’re overweight.
DIVE IN AND SWIM
Doing aerobic exercise (“cardio”) is good for your blood pressure. Swimming is a gentle way to do it. Go for 30 minutes, or work up to that amount if that’s too much right now.
HOW MUCH EXERCISE IS ENOUGH?
Do something that’s moderate in intensity — like brisk walking — for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 or more days a week. That may be enough to keep you off medications or help them work better. Exercise can lower your blood pressure by as much as five to 15 points. Gradually make your workouts more intense to keep lowering your blood pressure to safer levels.
GETTING STARTED
Start slowly to prevent injuries. Start with 10 to 15 minutes of exercise you enjoy, such as walking around the block or on a treadmill. You can gradually make your workouts longer and more challenging.
PACE YOURSELF TO AVOID INJURY
If you’re new to exercise, remember to pace yourself. Select a low- to moderate-intensity exercise such as gentle forms of yoga, gardening, or any other activity that you can do at a moderate pace. Gradually increase the intensity and duration of exercise as you become fitter, to help maintain your lowered blood pressure.
MAKE EXERCISE CONVENIENT
Commit to making exercise part of your schedule. Find a time that works for you. You can work out while the kids are at soccer practice, before or after work, or even during your lunch break. If it’s hard to get out of the house, consider getting some workout apps or DVDs, a yoga mat, and hand-held weights you can use at home
SET UP A HOME GYM
Pick items that fit in with what you want to do: a step bench, jump rope, fit ball, exercise bands or tubes, and weights, for example. You can store them in a closet when you’re not using them. If you have more space and a bigger budget, consider getting a treadmill or stationary bike.
WARM UP AND COOL DOWN
Warming up before exercise and cooling down after are important for people with high blood pressure. These exercises let your heart rate rise and return to normal gradually. Walking in place or on a treadmill for 10 minutes is fine for warming up before exercise and also for cooling down.
TRY A HEART RATE WATCH
A heart rate watch can let you quickly assess your pulse. Here’s how to use one. Put the band that comes with it on your chest underneath your shirt. By looking at the watch during exercise, you can see your actual heart rate. This is a good alternative to taking your pulse manually. Ask your doctor to recommend the best target heart rate zone (or training zone) for you.
MEDICATION AND HEART RATE
Some heart medications such as beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers can slow your heart rate. Talk to your doctor and ask what your target heart rate zone should be during exercise if you take these medications.
BEYOND EXERCISE: THE DASH DIET
You can lower your systolic blood pressure (the top number) by switching to the DASH diet. The DASH diet is based on 2,000 calories a day. It’s rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. It’s also low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. According to studies, adopting a DASH diet can reduce systolic blood pressure by eight to 14 points. For those over age 50, a systolic blood pressure higher than
BEYOND EXERCISE: LOSE 10 POUNDS
If you’re overweight, losing 10 pounds can help reduce or prevent high blood pressure. To lose weight, take in fewer calories than you use each day. Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian how many calories you need daily for weight loss. Exercise helps you burn even more calories.
BEYOND EXERCISE: WATCH OUT FOR SALT
National guidelines recommend not getting more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day (about 1 teaspoon of table salt). The limit is 1,500 milligrams a day for some people, depending on age and other things. By staying on a sodium-restricted diet, your systolic blood pressure (top number) may drop two to eight points. Salt-restricted diets can also help enhance the effects of most blood pressure
KNOW THE SAFETY TIPS
No matter what exercise you do, be aware of your limitations. If the exercise or activity hurts, then stop! If you feel dizzy or have discomfort in your chest, arms, or throat, stop. Also, go slower on hot and humid days, or exercise in an air-conditioned building.
YOGA FOR LOWERING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
PRECAUTIONS
Generally inverted poses – where your legs are above the heart and higher heart head – not recommended, as they tend to rise more pressure. However, the position Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge) held on cushions or other support, is energizing for the kidneys and relieves the nervous system, reducing high blood pressure.
RECOMMENDED YOGA POSES
Moreover, the asanas recommended are for example those with the spine are horizontal and they allow the heart to slow down because they require less effort to pump blood to the brain. Sitting and lying postures as Baddhakonasana, Konasana Upavista Virasana and are very useful for people with high blood pressure. The forward bending postures regulate heart action and blood pressure.
Having high blood pressure should not prevent you practice yoga. If you are aware of your health condition and follow the doctor’s recommendations, you have a wide range of positions to practice.
BREATHING AND MEDITATION
It is also important that you consider breathing. Try to be calm and deep, but without forcing. When you are performing the ten positions during practice this does not hold your breath, but make it more consciously and smoothly as possible.
Also, I invite you to meditate. Meditation, among other things, helps to reduce stress and anxiety. Even after a short meditation session you will see how your mind is calmer and feel more relaxed.
CONCLUSIONS
The use of yoga as a treatment for high blood pressure is more useful if done as part of a multi-therapeutic approach, including lifestyle changes and nutrition. As always, when it comes to natural healing, the results are usually not as fast as taking a pill. The good news is, however, that when you take steps to lower blood pressure naturally, helping our body to obtain a healing response, you get true healing. Your nervous system becomes more balanced, and generally feel better, have more energy, and have more resources to cope with stress.
My main advice is to go to the root of the problem. Look what causes you to turn up the pressure, watch what you eat, how you react to certain circumstances. Learn from you, and changes you need to live with greater physical, mental and spiritual.
Note: To achieve these and other improvements in your health and your life in general, you need a regular yoga practice. Yoga is the union of body and mind and soul, which in turn binds the whole universe, so that the benefits in our physical health is only a part of all that we receive with constant practice. Always remember that Yoga is more!
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