The best time to treat high blood pressure is before it starts. However, it's never too late to build up your cardiopulmonary system through a regular routine of heart-healthy, physical activities. You don't have to work out with weights in order to get your heart in shape. Daily, aerobic exercise decreases the systolic force of arterial blood flow and reduces your risk of serious heart problems.
Features
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute defines blood pressure as the force of blood against the arterial walls. Your blood pressure reading is made up of two numbers. The top number -- called the systolic pressure -- measures blood force during heart beats. The lower number, or diastolic pressure, measures the relaxing blood force between heart beats. Blood pressure is measured in mm HGs -- millimeters of mercury. A normal blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 mm Hg.
Hypertension
Your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day. However, if your reading stays high -- at 140/90 mm Hg or above -- and does not fall, you have a common, but dangerous, condition known as hypertension. Almost 25 percent of American adults have hypertension. Although anyone at any age can have high blood pressure, age increases risk. Hypertension has serious consequences: heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis.
Effects of Exercise on Blood Pressure
A regular exercise program strengthens your heart so that it takes less effort and force to pump blood through your circulatory system. Physical activity can be as successful as blood pressure medications in lowering your systolic pressure reading, according to the Mayo Clinic. In fact, you can reduce your systolic level by 5-10 mm HG. However, it is important to note that, in order to experience a long-lasting reduction in blood pressure, your exercise program must be ongoing.
Post-Exercise Systolic Blood Pressure Ratio
As you exercise, your systolic blood pressure rises to a peak and stays there for about 60 seconds after you stop exercising. A healthy person's systolic pressure will then quickly decline at a steady rate, during the recovery period, to its "baseline," or pre-exercise value. In an October 1998 issue of American Family Physician, Dr. Allen J. Taylor and Dr. George A. Beller, explain that the process should take around 5 minutes.
According to Dr. Beller and Dr. Taylor, the rate of systolic blood pressure declines after exercise in relation to its peak level during exercise, and is expressed as the post-exercise systolic blood pressure ratio, or SBPR. In the example provided by the physicians, a patient's systolic reading peaks at 200 mm Hg while exercising and falls to 180 mm Hg three minutes into recovery. The patient's SBPR would be 180/200, or .90. A higher ratio would indicate a problem such as coronary artery disease and would warrant further investigation.
Exercise to Lower Blood Pressure
The Mayo Clinic recommends that you engage in daily physical activities that increase your heart and breathing rates. You should practice this program of aerobic exercise 30 minutes a day if possible. Suitable exercises include walking, jogging, household chores, bicycling, swimming and sports such as tennis or basketball. Consistency and persistence are key to keeping your systolic blood pressure within a normal range.
