A person’s blood pressure is determined by their heart beats and the blood pumping under pressure to the rest of the body. If the pressure is consistently too high, it puts major strain on the heart and blood vessels. This strain could also affect the brain and the kidneys. The damage to the body could lead to worrying health complications such as strokes or heart attacks. Most people with high blood pressure don’t have obvious symptoms and are often unaware of their condition until it is too late. But there is an exercise that has been proven to help lower a person’s blood pressure readings.
Exercising has been termed the “drug-free approach” to lowering high blood pressure.
When you exercise your heart starts to pump harder and faster to circulate blood to deliver oxygen to the muscles.
Physical activity will cause the blood pressure to rise for a short time, however when you stop exercising the blood pressure returns to normal.
The quicker it does this, the fitter a person is likely to be.
Blood Pressure UK said on their website: “Regular exercise is very important for the health of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
“It helps to make your heart and blood vessels more flexible and efficient.
If you have high blood pressure, you should try to focus on activities that will help your heart and blood vessels
Blood Pressure UK
“Different kinds of exercise have different effects on your body.
“If you have high blood pressure, you should try to focus on activities that will help your heart and blood vessels.
“Aerobic exercise is they typically that helps the heart the most. Aerobic activity is repetitive and rhythmic, and exercises large muscle groups, such as those in your legs, shoulders and arms.
“Walking, jogging, swimming and digging are all aerobic activities, as is anything else that gets you warm and slightly out of breath.”
In a study with the US National Library of Medicine National Institute of Health, the acute effects of exercise were analysed and what effect it had on blood pressure readings.
The aim of the study was to examine the evidence regarding the acute effect of exercise on blood pressure.
The study concluded that blood pressure was reduced in the hours following an acute exercise session.
However, the reduction was greater if the exercise was preformed as a preventative strategy and in physically active individuals who were not yet medicated.
When it comes to exercising, a person should try and aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week.
Moderate exercise should be enough to make you feel warmer and breathe harder, but you should still be able to talk without panting between words.
Blood Pressure UK advised: “Set yourself small goals that add up. To start, split your 30 minutes into two 15-minute or three 10-minute sessions.
This will help you build up your strength as well as helping you get used to your new activity. You can build up to the full 30 minutes over a few weeks.”
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