How exercise can help you lower your blood pressure

Do you have high blood pressure? Frequent exercise is one of the best ways to lower your blood pressure and improve your health. However, it’s important to approach it carefully to avoid overexerting yourself when you first start being more active.

In this guide, we’ll look at how exercise can help you lower your blood pressure and improve your health. We’ll also share five simple but effective daily exercises to help you get started living an active lifestyle.

Does frequent exercise lower your blood pressure?

Lack of exercise and high blood pressure are closely correlated. Although a variety of other factors can contribute to high blood pressure, inactivity is one of the most prominent causes of prehypertension and hypertension.

Daily exercise – even for a short amount of time and at a moderate intensity level – can have a huge positive effect on your blood pressure. In fact, exercising daily can reduce your systolic blood pressure by 4-9 mmHg – a significant amount.

Combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, daily exercise can be all it takes to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level. If your blood pressure is above the normal level, try adding 30-45 minutes of exercise to your daily routine.

Is exercise safe for people with high blood pressure?

In short, yes. However, if your blood pressure is significantly higher than the normal range, it’s important to start exercising gradually and increase the intensity of your exercise routine only when your body is capable of keeping up with your goals.

Before you start any exercise programme, speak to your doctor. This is particularly important if you also suffer from other health conditions that could make exercise a risk to your wellbeing.

One form of exercise that isn’t recommended for people with high blood pressure is heavy weight training. Weight training results in a temporary rise in blood pressure, especially when you’re training with heavy weights.

Because of this, it’s important to start weight training with low weights that you can easily lift without overly exerting yourself. Over time, increase the intensity of your workout (and the weight you’re lifting) as you become more accustomed to exercise.

The 5 best exercises for people with high blood pressure

Would you like to lower your blood pressure through exercise? Daily exercise is one of the best ways to improve your blood pressure, but it’s often difficult to start if you have never exercised before.

These five exercises are ideal for first timers and infrequent exercisers. All are easy to start doing without extensive experience, low impact and require little to no form or technique training.

Swimming

Swimming is a fantastic form of cardiovascular exercise that also strengthens many of the muscles in your body. Since there’s no impact involved, it’s also a great way to work out without injuring your joints.

Walking

You don’t need to jog or run to improve your cardiovascular health. If you’ve rarely exercised before, a brisk one-hour walk in the morning will fill your lungs with fresh air and get you prepared for the day.

Cycling

Like swimming, cycling is a low-intensity form of cardiovascular exercise that puts no strain on your joints. Find a riding trail near your home or cycle for 30 minutes every morning on a stationary bicycle in your home.

Yoga

Like swimming a cycling, yoga is a low-intensity form of exercise that puts minimal strain on your joints. It’s also a great way to strengthen the major muscle groups of your body and become more flexible.

Jogging

If walking is too slow-paced for you, try jogging. Jogging improves your heart health and gives you fantastic cardiovascular endurance. If you’ve never jogged before, try walking first to ease yourself into physical exercise before your first local run.