How To Exercise to Lower Blood Pressure
- The best ways to exercise to help lower your blood pressure. Spoiler- it is not which workout you do, but how you do it!
Keeping the Pressure Down: Why Exercise Matters for Hypertension
First off, Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mom's out there!! This Mother’s Day, we’re giving a big shoutout to the original strength trainers—moms. From carrying kids to carrying the whole family, no one balances life (and laundry) quite like they do.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the most common—and often silent—health conditions out there. While medications can help, regular exercise is one of the most powerful tools for managing and even preventing hypertension. In this post, we’ll break down the key takeaways outlined in a recent NY Times article titled "How To Exercise For Lower Blood Pressure".
- "It is like producing extra release valves for your heart, so there is less pressure on existing blood vessels"
- The framework for exercise should include variables in intensity, regularity, and effective warm ups.
- Longer warm ups ( at least 10 minutes) are important to gradually increase heart rate without a sharp spike. Think of working at a 3/10 intensity.
- Rather than focusing strictly on heart rate, focus more on how your body 'feels'. This is especially important if on blood pressure medication, as some may blunt your heart rate response.
- High intensity interval training causes more rapid fluctuations in blood pressure
- Avoid exercises involving rapidly getting up and down from the floor ( like burpees)
- Avoid heavy weightlifting - many times people hold their breath to artificially increase stability, this causes blood pressure to rapidly drop. Then, when you release your breath your blood pressure sky rockets.
- Shoot for 30 minutes/ day of aerobic activity, but even 10-15 minutes done throughout the day can be effective at reducing blood pressure.
- CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, are you getting enough?
If you would like to read more, you can access the full NY times article Click Here!
Bonus: Do you know where that picture was taken? A great way to take a leisurely walk while helping to lower your blood pressure.
Have a great week!
-Shawn
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