High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. If your blood pressure is high, you need to make lifestyle changes to improve your health. If you smoke, you need to quit. Making healthy food choices is also necessary. In addition, a regular exercise program is an essential component. If joining a gym or taking classes is not your thing, walking can provide a good alternative. You just need to keep some basic guidelines in mind to make sure your walking program is both safe and effective.
Step 1
Be prepared. First check with your doctor to make sure that it is safe to start exercising. Your blood pressure needs to be under control before exerting yourself. In addition, make sure you get good shoes that are designed for walking. Poorly fitting shoes will make walking uncomfortable and can leave you with sore feet, hips and knees. If walking on land is not an option due to pain or illness, you can get the same benefits by walking in water. Check into local health clubs and gyms that have pools you can use year round.
Step 2
Start slowly. If you are new to exercise, make sure you do not do too much, too fast. Going too hard all at once will leave you sore and tired, and may cause you to drop out of your program. Start with short walks for just five, 10 or 15 minutes. Instead of taking one long walk, take two or three shorter ones, and gradually build up at a pace that feels right for you. To help you stay motivated and on track, make a schedule of when you want to walk and make it a priority. Make your scheduled walking time non-negotiable and treat it as important as a doctor's appointment. Visit the American Heart Association website to find many online tools to help you get going.
Step 3
Walk briskly enough to get benefits. While a stroll down the road can be relaxing and enjoyable, if you are trying to lower your blood pressure, your pace needs to be brisk. A fitness walk should challenge you. The Centers for Disease Control suggest using the rating of perceived exertion to make sure you're exerting yourself at the right level. The rating of perceived exertion is a self-test you do during your walk. You assess how you feel based on the Borg scale of 1 to 20, with 1 being asleep and 20 being total exhaustion. You should feel like you are in the middle of the scale. You want to be breathing a little hard and sweating, but not exerting yourself so hard that you feel like you cannot continue.
Step 4
Go frequently. To get the benefits, you need to walk for 30 to 45 minutes at a moderate pace on most days of the week. According to the National High Blood Pressure Education Program, "If your blood pressure is moderately elevated, 30 minutes of brisk walking most days a week may be enough to keep you off medication." In addition, the program states that if you take medication, walking may make it more effective.
Step 5
Make a plan to handle distractions. Starting an exercise program is tough, and staying with it can be tougher. In the beginning, make a list of all the things that may cause you to stop walking. Then make a plan as to how to deal with these interruptions. In addition, keeping a journal of your walking progress, tracking your blood pressure and performing fitness assessments can help you to see results. Seeing your progress is a good motivating tool.
Tips and Warnings
- Start slowly and listen to your body to know what feels right. Schedule your walk into your day and give it the same priority as going to work or an important appointment.
- Never exercise to fatigue or exhaustion. Stop walking and call your doctor if you experience chest pain, dizziness or a worsening of any of your symptoms. Exercise should help you feel better, not make you feel worse.
