Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in the arteries. This pressure is created by the contraction of the heart. Every time the heart beats, blood is pumped into the arteries to transport it throughout the body to the vital organs and tissues.
High blood pressure is a condition where the pressure of blood pushing against the artery walls is higher than normal over a long period of time. When the heart pumps blood, blood must move through the blood vessels to nourish the entire body. If the blood vessels narrow, stiffen, or if the blood is pushed out too hard, the pressure inside the vessels increases, and that is when blood pressure becomes too high.
Regular exercise is one of the most effective ways to lower blood pressure, prevent hypertension, and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
What are the benefits of regular exercise?
1. When you exercise, your heart is healthier
Exercise not only helps your body stay physically fit, but it also has profound benefits for your cardiovascular system. When you exercise regularly, your heart becomes stronger and more efficient at pumping blood. This means that the heart does not have to work as hard to get blood to other organs, thereby reducing the pressure on the blood vessel walls and helping to lower blood pressure naturally.
Over time, exercise also improves the elasticity of your arteries, allowing them to expand and contract more easily. This means that the heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood, which can lower overall blood pressure.
2. Your body is reset to its natural state
Humans were not born to sit all day, but modern life with desk jobs, traveling by motorbike, car makes us less and less active. When the body is not used properly, many disorders appear, including high blood pressure.
Regular exercise helps “reset” the way the body works, enhancing the function of the heart, lungs, circulation, and metabolism. The body works more efficiently, does not accumulate excess fat, and most importantly, prevents the bad progression of high blood pressure, while reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.
3. Prevent and support the treatment of high blood pressure
For people in the pre-hypertension stage, exercise can be a turning point to help you avoid taking medication in the future. Simply maintaining a suitable exercise regimen can help reduce the risk of developing the disease.
For people who already have high blood pressure, physical activity cannot completely replace medication, but it can reduce the dose of medication needed or prevent the condition from worsening. Doctors can adjust the treatment regimen based on the body’s positive response to exercise habits, thereby helping the patient achieve long-term stability.
What exercises are best for blood pressure?
Aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, swimming or cycling are particularly effective at lowering blood pressure. Activities that work large muscle groups and increase your heart rate for a long time usually provide the most benefit. Strength and resistance exercises can also play a role, but should be done in conjunction with aerobic exercises for the best overall results.
To begin or continue to see improvements in blood pressure and overall health, adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as brisk walking or cycling) per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity (such as jogging or swimming). Breaking up your exercise sessions throughout the week, such as 30 minutes a day, five days a week, can be more manageable and maintainable.
Tips for making 10-minute aerobics workout
- Take a 10-minute walk before, during, and/or after work
- Bike around your neighborhood or run errands
- Find a dance or HIIT video online
- Take a phone call while walking
- Convert a meeting to a walking meeting
- Walk around the field while watching a sports game
- Use restrooms and water fountains farther away
- Consider parking in a different parking lot to extend your walk to work
- Volunteer to walk the dog
- Create a playlist of your 3 favorite songs to dance to while cooking dinner
