Exercise in general can help regulate blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, exercise can help lower it. How? The answer is regular exercise. It helps to regulate weight, maintain a healthy heart and reduce stress. In addition, by incorporating exercise into your lifestyle along with a healthy diet, you can lower your blood pressure and prevent more serious health problems.
How much exercise should I do?
The recommended amount of exercise per week is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. However, these 150 minutes can be broken down into more manageable chunks per week. Consistency is key. It may take one to three months before you notice any change in your blood pressure.
You also need to make sure that you are exercising at a high enough intensity. For moderate intensity training, you should aim for around 50% of your maximum heart rate. Another easy way to find out if you need to work a little harder is to take a “speaking” test. If the intensity is sufficient, you will not be able to sing or hold a full conversation easily.
Exercises that are great for lowering blood pressure
Below we will provide some of the best exercises that you can do to lower your blood pressure, let’s take a look.
Cardio exercise
As you have already guessed, the most important is cardio exercise. Not only does cardio help lower blood pressure, but if you do it regularly, it can help strengthen your heart. Cardio exercises include all exercises that make you sweat and activate your heart. Alongside cardio exercise, you can also consider taking supplements that will help with the recovery of your muscles, for example: cardarine, that can help with your muscle recovery process afterwards, and help you stay motivated to continue your goals.
Aerobic exercise
Sign up for classes such as water aerobics, zumba and functional fitness. If you are unsure, ask the gym or leisure center what classes they offer that suit your needs.
Brisk walking
You will need to walk faster than usual to increase your heart rate and breathing rate.
Cycling
Cycling counts if it lasts at least 10 minutes and you are actively pedaling. Beginner cycling classes can also be a great way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
Dancing
Dance classes, such as zumba, are a good workout. Any dancing is important if it involves full-body movements and increases heart rate.
Gardening or other yard work
This can include mowing the lawn and raking leaves. Allow 30-45 minutes for yard work.
Hiking
If you start walking, stick to beginner trails at first. Aim to progress to more challenging trails.
Swimming
Most people are familiar with freestyle swimming, so it may be the easiest for beginner swimmers. If this swim is too hard, running in water can be a good start for someone not used to water exercising.
The Namaste way out of hypertension
Bad yoga puns aside, this ancient practice is a great way to exercise. Even better, it can improve your flexibility and reduce another factor that raises blood pressure – stress.
