The Effects Of Cardio On Blood Pressure
Researchers did a lot of work on how cardio affects blood pressure, all meant to answer different questions.
Fortunately, at this point, the research isnt asking does cardio lower blood pressure? Its very clear that it does.
One study wanted to answer the question of to what extent can cardio lower your blood pressure in the elderly who have high blood pressure?
They found that a single workout lowers blood pressure by between 5-7 mm hg. So if your regular blood pressure is 140/90 mm hg, a single workout can lower it down as low as 133/83 mm hg. Not bad. And the effects last for 24 hours afterwards.
This drop in blood pressure after exercise is called post exercise hypotension .
Another study wanted to compare the effects of steady training against interval training . In both cases, the results were more in favour of steady state training. In the group that did steady state, both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure fell by 4-8 mm hg. The group that did interval training had a drop of 5-6 mm hg, but only in the diastolic blood pressure.
How Long Does It Take To Lower Blood Pressure With Exercise
Fortunately, this is fast. Blood pressure is reduced almost immediately after cardio, and this effect can last up to a day.
However, like your medications, you have to do cardio 4-6 times per week for the blood pressure reductions to be maintained. You stop your cardio, your blood pressure goes back up.
Fortunately, with strength training, thats not the case. You can take several weeks, up to a couple months off from strength training, and your blood pressure will still stay low.
For High Blood Pressure Do Aerobic Exercise Like Walking Running Or Cycling
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is defined as anything above 140/90 mmHg. People who are already at this level can benefit most from aerobic training, researchers found.
Often referred to as cardio exercise, this includes movements that ramp up your heart rate and make you breathe harder, including running, swimming, and cycling.
Lower intensity exercise such as walking and jogging is also included in this category.
The researchers found evidence that these exercises can work as well or better than any one medication for treating high blood pressure, Dr. Henner Hanssen, head of preventive sports medicine at the University of Basel in Switzerland, said in a press release.
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Can You Exercise With High Blood Pressure
The answer is almost always a resounding yes. Why almost? Because there are a few cases when someone with high blood pressure should not exercise.
If a persons blood pressure is too high, then exercise may carry more risk than benefit.
Unfortunately, theres no established, agreed-upon number of how high is too high, so its a judgment call, that factors in other variables, like:
- What other risk factors are present?
- Is the persons pulse high?
- Does the person have arrhythmia?
- Does the person have angina?
and others.
My personal guideline is if a clients blood pressure is over around 150-155 , and 105-110 , I send them out to their doctor, to either get clearance for exercise, or treatment to lower the blood pressure enough to be able to exercise.
What Exercises Should I Avoid With High Blood Pressure
The single worst exercise you can do if you have high blood pressure is a leg press.
Original source: here.
The reason that the leg press is so bad for high blood pressure is because it can really increase your blood pressure, in an unnatural way. For one thing, the angle of the machine the legs are above the heart. So the heart has to work extra hard to pump blood against gravity. The other reason its so bad is the amount of weight that needs to be used to have a training effect too much.
The combination of those 2 factors makes this a worst ever exercise for high blood pressure.
How bad any given exercise is depends on both the weight, and body position. Any exercise where either the lower body is above the heart, or the head is below the heart will raise blood pressure more than exercises where the reverse is true.
So some examples would be decline pushups, decline bench press, decline situps, and so on.
Its often said that exercises where the arms push above the head should be avoided , but thats more on a case-by-case basis. The arms are much smaller than the legs, so although overhead presses do raise blood pressure, they dont do it by much.
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Exercise All Week Longnot Just The Weekends
You may think youre too busy to exercise for 30 minutes a day most days of the week, so youll just make up for it on the weekend. However, going gung-ho with exercise on the weekend for long periods of time may be risky for your health. Break up your exercise routine into two 15-minute sessions or even three 10-minute sessions throughout the day.
What Is The Best Exercise For High Blood Pressure
Different kinds of exercise and activity have different effects on your body. If you have high blood pressure, focus on aerobic activities as these will help your heart and blood vessels most, but avoid activities which put too much strain on your heart.
Helpful exercises aerobic exercise Aerobic exercises are repetitive and rhythmic movements which get your heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles working. They use the large muscle groups of your body, such as those in your legs, shoulders and arms. Walking, jogging, swimming, dancing and heaving gardening, such as digging, are all aerobic activities.
Exercises to avoidSome other forms of activity are less helpful. For example, any exercise that is very intensive for short periods of time, such as sprinting or weightlifting. They raise your blood pressure very quickly and put too much strain on your heart and blood vessels.
Some extreme sports such as scuba diving or parachuting can be dangerous if your blood pressure is not under control. You will need a medical certificate from your doctor to start or continue doing them.
Use the table below to get an idea of the types of exercises and activities that are safe and those to avoid:
Helpful activities for lowering blood pressure
|
Activities that are good for your blood pressure |
Activities to avoid |
|
Talk to your doctor or nurse before starting any of these |
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High Blood Pressure When Exercising
Its normal for your systolic blood pressure to increase when you take vigorous exercise. This is because your muscles need more oxygen, so your heart has to work harder to deliver it. Your diastolic pressure, between heartbeats, should not change significantly.
Normal blood pressure is around 120/80 mmHg. It may rise to 140/90 after aerobic exercise such as running or swimming, though this is a ballpark figure as blood pressure varies a great deal from one person to another. It should then return to normal after a few hours. If your systolic pressure rises above 200 mmHg as a result of vigorous activity, this is known as exercise hypertension. It may indicate a problem, and you should obtain medical advice.
Of course, regular exercise also helps to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. It strengthens your heart and makes it more efficient at keeping your body supplied with blood. That said, if you have hypertension, you should avoid high-intensity workouts that may place too much strain on your heart: again, if in doubt, ask a doctor.
References:
/6risk Factors For Hypertension
Some common risks for hypertension include obesity, drinking too much alcohol, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, processed food and genetics. High blood pressure is also called a silent killer that affects millions worldwide. The thing to worry about is, it’s no more a condition that affects the elderly, it is being reported widely in youngsters too.
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How Is High Blood Pressure Defined
Since blood pressure can be affected by several factors, it is important to standardize the environment with this in mind when blood pressure is determined. For at least one hour before measuring the BP one should avoid eating, strenuous exercise , smoking, and caffeine intake. Other stresses may alter the blood pressure and need to be considered when blood pressure is measured.
Even though most insurance companies, quite reasonably, consider high blood pressure to be 140/90 and higher for the general population, these levels may not be appropriate cut-offs for all individuals.
As a matter of fact, many experts in the field of hypertension view blood pressure levels as a continuum, or range, from lower levels to higher levels. Such a continuum implies that there are no clear or precise cut-off values to separate normal blood pressure from high blood pressure. Individuals with so-called pre-hypertension may benefit from lowering of blood pressure by life style modification and possibly medication especially if there are other risk factors for end-organ damage such as diabetes or kidney disease .
The Effects Of Weight Training On Blood Pressure
Typically, when medical professionals tell you that you should exercise for high blood pressure, they mostly refer to cardio, so cardio has been extremely well studied. Strength training, on the other hand, not as much. Nonetheless, over the last couple of decades, the research on strength/weight training has been mounting, and a lot of questions are being answered.
Although there is more research available on aerobic exercise , and theres more agreement between studies, with weight training, there is some conflicting research. Yet, in the studies that show a positive effect on blood pressure from weight training, the drops are larger than with cardio.
In one study, a group of elderly people with high blood pressure exercised under 2 different conditions. In one condition, they did weight training with 50% of their maximal weight, and in the second condition, they exercised at 80% of the maximal weight. The exercises were identical. When they exercised at 50% of their maximum, their blood pressure was reduced by 23/7 mmHg. But at 80%, their blood pressure was reduced by 33/15.
Heres another cool effect of weight training: according to some studies , even in the cases when strength training doesnt decreased blood pressure at rest, it does minimize the rise in blood pressure during cardio.
Original source: here.
Again, its still in its infancy, and much more research is necessary, but for a very small time investment, the payoff in results can be very impressive.
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Safe Exercising Tips To Lower Blood Pressure
Before starting on any exercise or physical activity to lower your blood pressure, you should ask yourself two questions: What sounds like fun for you? Would you rather exercise alone or in a group? This can help you choose an activity you will actually enjoy so you can stick with it.
There are three types of exercise that can help improve blood pressure: Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise, strength training, and stretching.
If its been a while, you want to start off slowly. Try moderate activity for 30 minutes such as walking, swimming, or biking.
Before performing any exercise or routine, its always important to warm up to get your blood running. This can involve light activity and stretches basically, anything that makes you feel warmer.
Once warmed up, you can get into your activity, be jogging or playing a sport. Ensure you push yourself gradually and dont go overboard all at once.
At the end of your activity or exercise routine, dont forget to cool down. This, too, involves stretching and gradually slowing down your movements, which is particularly important for those with high blood pressure.
Physical activities can range from household chores to sports to gym activities. The key is finding something you like in order to stay motivated. Working out with others, or joining a team, is a great way to stay motivated. You and your buddy can push each other and hold each other accountable for your workouts.
Avoid These Exercises If You Want To Lower Your Blood Pressure
As our friends at ETNT Health have reported, deaths attributed to high blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertensionwhen the pressure in your blood vessels is too highwere up a staggering 11% in 2020. Blood pressure-related deaths outnumber deaths attributed to the flu, pneumonia, heart disease, and stroke. Having high blood pressure will put your body at risk of several dangerous side effects that include aneurysm, heart attack, kidney issues, dementia, metabolic syndrome, andyesearly death.
Several lifestyle changes can help you lower your blood pressure, such as getting a full night’s rest, watching your sodium intake, and cutting down booze. But one of the best ways to get your blood pressure back down to healthy levels is to exercise.
According to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, if you’re looking to maximize your heart health and keep your blood pressure low well into old age, you should be doing at least 5 hours of moderate-intensity exercise every single week. If that sounds like a lot, it is. After all, the latest guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services advise adults to aspire to perform at least 150 minutes to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week to enjoy the health benefits of working out.
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Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Regularly drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure over time.
Staying within the recommended levels is the best way to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure:
- men and women are advised not to regularly drink more than 14 units a week
- spread your drinking over 3 days or more if you drink as much as 14 units a week
Find Ways To Squeeze In 10 Minutes
You may be convinced that youre too busy to find time for exercise, but if you want to reduce or eliminate blood pressure medication, its worthwhile to find ways to be active throughout the day. Here are a few 10-minutes exercise ideas:
- Do strength-training exercises while you watch TV. Try push-ups, crunches, lunges, squats, leg raises, or simply march in place.
- Walk to a coffee shop or lunch spot thats at least 5 minutes away from your office. The round trip will rack up 10 minutes of exercise and reduce work stress.
- Park your car at the end of the lot any time you run an errand. A few minutes and extra steps here and there add up.
- Walk around your house or up and down steps any time you’re on the phone.
- Commit to doing 10 minutes of a fitness DVD or on-demand workout. Chances are, once that time is up, youll be motivated to keep going.
Once youve carved out 10 minutes, try to find another 10, and then wake up 10 minutes earlier to work up to a total of 30 minutes every day.
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Exercising Can Not Only Help Prevent High Blood Pressure Or Hypertension But It Can Also Help You Manage The Condition Better
Once you have high blood pressure or hypertension, you are put on anti antihypertensive medication and list of dos and donts which include foods to eat to control high blood pressure and also those to avoid. Many other lifestyle changes are also needed to lower your blood pressure. One of the things that is an absolute must is exercising. Various studies have shown that physical activity is an important antidote to hypertension woes. In fact, a recent research said that exercise could be as effective as antihypertensive medicines as far as high blood pressure is concerned. It isnt safe to replace your medicines for hypertension with exercise or blood pressure-lowering foods, but, you can definitely supplement your efforts with certain exercises.Also Read – Anxiety Can be Treated With Moderate And Strenuous Exercise: Study
Walking: One of the simplest yet most effective ways to keep your blood pressure in control is going for walks every day. Brisk walking is known to help reduce blood pressure. Make sure to do at least 30 minutes of walking every day. Also Read – 8 Lifestyle-Related Factors That Increase Your Risk of Stroke
Running: Running or jogging exerts a positive effect on the heart by lowering cholesterol and also by burning calories. It is also good for increasing the blood circulation in the body. Also Read – Suffering From High Blood Pressure? This ONE Exercise Can Lower it Instantly
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Exercise For High Blood Pressure
Do you or someone you know have high blood pressure? If so, youll want to read this article, because this is going to be the most thorough, detailed, and comprehensive article on the internet about how to exercise for high blood pressure reduction.
Original source: here.
You know how you go to your doctor, and s/he prescribes a medication? Theres a lot of precision behind that prescription. Your doctor will tell you:
- The name of the medication
- The dosage
- Whether to take it with food or away from food
- Whether to take it in the morning or the evening
And yet, when your doctor recommends exercise, they just leave it at that: you should exercise. But no more details than that. You have to guess important details, like:
- Should you do cardio, resistance exercise or stretching?
- How many days per week?
- At what intensity ?
- For what duration?
and more.
Well, this article will give you that precision, whether youre the lay person, a medical professional, or a fitness professional on working out with high blood pressure.
This article will cover:
People often wonder whats the best exercise for high blood pressure, and as Im fond of saying in my articles, whats best varies, based on a few different factors:
and other factors.
If you prefer to watch the video version of this article here it is:
If youd prefer to check out the infographic version of this article, here it is:
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