High blood pressure may be caused by factors out of your control, but getting your numbers in check is within your reach. Exercise significantly lowers blood pressure and, when done consistently, can help keep those levels under control. The effects of exercise compound, so that over time, changes like weight loss and strong muscles lower your blood pressure even more. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
About Your Levels
Healthy blood pressure remains below 120/80 mmHg. If your blood pressure ranges between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg, you're considered prehypertensive. People with prehypertension may be able to control their blood pressure with lifestyle changes, including exercise. People with high blood pressure (140/90 mmHg or higher), can help control blood pressure with exercise -- perhaps leading to the need for less medication and improved heart health.
Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic exercise gets your heart pumping. Since your heart is a muscle, working it in this way helps it pump blood more effectively, which helps lower blood pressure. During exercise, your blood vessels widen, allowing blood to flow more freely. Exercise also lowers cholesterol and combats hardening of the arteries, which both affect blood flow and blood pressure. The American heart Association recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day, such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming, dancing or hiking, five times each week.
Strength Training Exercises
If you suffer from hypertension, you may have been told to avoid weightlifting. Strength training exercises temporarily raise blood pressure, especially if you lift heavy weights. For most people, lifting light weights is a safe and effective way to build muscle. Strong muscles improve fitness and lower blood pressure. The benefits of a regular strength training program outweigh the risks for most people, but it's essential to talk to your doctor before starting any weightlifting program.
Yoga
Yoga strengthens muscles and improves fitness, much like strength training. Intense yoga practices also burn calories and raise your heart rate. Yoga also relieves stress and relaxes the body and mind. A practice that incorporates plenty of forward bends, the preferred pose for blood pressure management, is useful. Yoga help lower blood pressure and may even help heal some of the damage high blood pressure has done to your body.
References
- "Annals of Internal Medicine"; Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Blood Pressure...; Whelton, et al; April 2002
- American heart Association: Physical Activity and Blood Pressure
- American College of Sports Medicine: Exercise Your Way to Lower Blood Pressure
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise: A Drug-free Approach to Lowering High Blood Pressure
- MayoClinic.com: Weightlifting: Bad For Your Blood Pressure?
- Yoga.com: Yoga and Blood Pressure
