Exercises to Lower Blood Pressure

For many people, the concept of exercises to lower blood pressure,exercise and blood pressure going together in the sense that the former is part of the treatment for the latter may be an alien concept.

You might be wrong for indeed blood pressure and exercise are interdependent and interconnected in many ways. For one thing, a sedentary lifestyle is one of the primary risk factors for cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. For another thing, exercise is also one of the most highly recommended lifestyle changes for said condition.

Benefits Effects of Exercise on Blood Pressure

Aside from treatment of hypertension, the exercises to lower blood pressure also provide for other benefits for general health. These benefits include strengthening your heart and cardiovascular systems, increasing energy levels and activity endurance, enhancing muscle strength and tone, strengthening of the skeletal system, assisting in the maintenance of a healthy weight, enhancing sleep and even in improving self-esteem and self-image. Indeed, exercise and blood pressure not only affect each other but your other physical and mental systems as well. So, starting today, do engage in the exercises to lower blood pressure that are discussed in this article.

Starting on Exercise

However, you just do not plunge into exercises especially if you have cardiovascular conditions like hypertension. You have to check with your doctor to determine the types of exercise you can do, the frequency you can perform them and the precautions you have to take. After all, you want to get the most benefits out of the combination of exercise and blood pressure.

Best Exercises

So, how does exercise lower blood pressure and what exactly are the types of exercise that are best for individuals with hypertension? Well, exercises to lower blood pressure can be divided into three general categories - stretches, aerobics and strengthening exercises. All of these elements must be incorporated into your exercise regimen in a gradual manner so as not to shock the mind and body.

First, stretching exercises are designed to increase your flexibility in the performance of the exercises as well as to prepare the muscles and joints for the more strenuous activities that will soon follow. Thus, you are better protected against injuries like sprains and strains.

Second, aerobic exercises like running and brisk walking improves on the body's ability to utilize oxygen. In turn, you benefit your heart through decreased blood pressure and improved breathing. In fact, aerobic activities are the best examples of the positive combination of exercise and blood pressure. Other aerobic types of exercise include jumping rope, bicycling, skating, rowing and swimming.

Third, strengthening exercises that utilize both free weights and body weight are designed to keep your muscles strong. This is very important as the stronger the muscles, the better to support your abdomen, knees, back, chest, shoulders, neck and wrists. Plus, with your strong muscles, you will have greater energy and endurance as well as a faster metabolism. By the way, you can perform push-ups and pull-ups as strengthening exercises so that you need not apply for gym membership or buy expensive equipment.

Again, all these activities are necessary in order to gain the most benefits from exercise and blood pressure. You just need to gradually increase the intensity and frequency of these exercises to lower blood pressure so as to ensure that you will neither be discouraged because it is too difficult nor be disinterested because it is too easy.

Did you know that there are such things as breathing exercises to lower blood pressure? Research has shown that these breathing exercises lessen stress because of the way these can slow down the heart rate and improve oxygen utilization.

You have two breathing exercises to lower blood pressure to choose from. First, you can choose the yoga breathing exercise where you breathe in through your nose and exhale through your mouth, all the while making sure that it is your diaphragm that contracts and expands with each breath. You can do this for 20-30 minutes daily. Second, you may sit quietly and close your eyes. Now, hold one nostril with your thumb and breathe in deeply for up to 4 counts and then release. The other nostril should also be subjected to the same treatment. Repeat until you have inhaled and exhaled for 3 times.

With these physical and breathing exercises to lower blood pressure, you will definitely have a healthier heart and a healthier body.

Return to ways to lower blood pressure from exercises to lower blood pressure