High Blood Pressure and the Benefits of Exercising

Description: Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, affects around one in three American adults. Not only does it increase your risk for heart disease and stroke, but it can often lead to a premature death. Through exercise, a well-balanced diet, and some weight management, you can prevent high blood pressure. If you are already taking medication for high blood pressure, working out can increase the effectiveness of the drug. Always remember to consult you medical physician before starting any kind of workout regimen.

Starting Your Workout If you haven’t exercised in a while, be sure to start slow. That way, you can prevent injuries and build your endurance up at a safe pace. Begin with exercise that’s enjoyable. A good start could be walking on a treadmill for 15-20 minutes or walking around your neighborhood. As you begin to feel stronger, increase your workout periodically until you reach 30 to 40 minutes each day. Make sure you don’t overdo it, though; exercising too vigorously can lead to significant injury.

Find a Workout You Like Participate in activities you enjoy and shoot for 20-30 minutes of exercise each workout day. By doing things like walking your dog, grocery shopping, riding bikes, using stairs instead of an elevator, playing a sport, or just simply playing with your kids, it all adds up to exercise that benefits your heart.

Pace Yourself If you do not exercise regularly, be sure to take it slow. Begin with a low-intensity workout like bike riding, swimming, gardening, playing with your kids, or anything that gets your heart rate elevated. Be sure to give your body proper rest after each workout, since muscles need time to recover in order to work properly.

Go To The Gym Many people find working out in a gym much easier than doing it on their own at home. A gym offers weights, cardio equipment, organized classes, and an atmosphere that can’t be found anywhere else. You can also get the added bonus of having a personal trainer. A trainer will teach you how to use gym equipment and work out properly so you can get in a better shape and avoid injury.

Try Resistance Exercises Research has shown that resistance exercises decrease body fat, increase muscle mass, and increase metabolic rates. By dropping as little as 8-10 pounds, high blood pressure can be reduced or even avoided. Resistance exercises range from free weights, weight machines, abdominal crunches, exercise bands, pull-ups and many more. There are so many options that you’re sure to find one you like.

Can’t Make It To The Gym? Take a Swim The benefits of swimming are overlooked by many. Research has shown that swimming just 25-30 minutes per workout reduces the amount of amount of adrenal in the body and relaxes the blood vessels. As a result, your pulse rate is lowered, which can in turn lead to lower blood pressure. It’s a great way to beat the heat of the gym!

Warm-up And Cool Down After Exercise Warming up and cooling down after a workout is vital in the fight to lower blood pressure. Warming up gets muscles loose to avoid injury while safely increasing your heart rate, while cooling down decreases your heart rate to a safe level.

Exercise When It’s Convenient Make sure your workout regimen is convenient for you. Work out while your kids are at sports practice, during your lunch break at work, while watching television, or even before work. If your workout is convenient for you, you will often be more motivated and as a result have a better workout.

Set Up A Home Gym Want to go to the gym but can’t seem to find time in your busy schedule? Then create your own private gym from the comfort of your own home. Go to your local sports store and purchase some free weights, exercise bands, a step bench, and any other form of equipment that you see fit. Set it up in a spare room or garage and start working out.

Try Mini Workouts Attempt 10-12 minute mini workouts throughout your hectic day. You can run in place, do yoga, actively clean your house, or do something as simple as pushups. You truth is that anything helps. For the best results, try working in 2-3 mini workouts a day.

Invest In A Heart-Rate Watch By having a heart rate watch, you can constantly know your heart rate during a workout. It’s good to know your heart rate because one should always shoot for a target heart rate when working out. Depending on the extent and intensity of your exercise, your heart rate will vary. Consult a doctor when trying to figure out your target heart rate.

Enough Is Enough Although regular exercise may prevent or control high blood pressure, over-exercising can have many ill effects. Dehydration, heat stroke, and muscle strains can be extremely painful and scary. Know you limits and make sure not to over exert yourself.

Research Safety Tips A good workout is a safe workout. Always be aware of your limitations when working out, because injury can strike often and easily. If you begin to feel sick, dizzy, or overwhelmed, hold back and stop your workout. Overdoing your workout can have severe health implications.

Consult Your Medical Professional Regularly Talk to your doctor before jumping into a workout regimen. Although you make think you are OK to workout, medical tests may prove otherwise. This is especially true if you are over 50, have any chronic health problems, and even slightly overweight.

Consider Medications There are many available heart medications such as calcium-channel blockers and beta blockers that will slow your heart rate. Talk to your medical physician and see what medications might work well for you.