If you have been diagnosed with chronic high blood pressure, your physician has probably told you to exercise. There are medications specially designed to help manage blood pressure but you can always supplement this with regular physical activity.
Exercise is a wonderful way to maintain healthy heart health and weight. Moreover, incorporating exercise into your lifestyle and by eating healthy, you can prevent serious medical problems like heart failure, cancer, kidney disease, and others.
How Much Exercise is Needed?
The CDC (and NHS) recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week. And no, they didn’t mean doing all 150 minutes in one sitting. You. But that 150 minutes can be broken up into more manageable chunks throughout the week.
If you’ve never exercised before or if it’s been a long time since you last exercised, it may be a good idea to start in 10-15 minute sessions until you’re able to get into a routine.
It’s not how hard you exercise but instead, how consistent you are in the long run. Aim to reach 50% of your maximum heart rate. You can determine this number here.
Exercises to Lower or Manage Blood Pressure
Here are workouts that are effective in lowering your blood pressure:
- Aerobic exercise. You can get a membership in gyms like Gold’s Gym and sign up for classes like Zumba and spinning.
- Brisk walking. Walking can help but you’ll need to walk faster to elevate your heart rate.
- Cycling. If you have a bicycle, put on your cycling shoes and pedal away. You can pedal around your neighborhood, or follow a trail.
- Dancing. Dance classes can give you a good workout. Since it makes you sweat and elevates your heart rate, it’s good for lowering your blood pressure as well.
- Hiking. Go for the easiest trails if you’re new to hiking. You can always progress and target challenging trails as your fitness improves.
- Running. You can alternate running and jogging. Begin with shorter distances and gradually increase the distance and speed.
- Swimming. Take a few laps in the pool or you can try aqua jogging and aqua yoga.
If your goal is to manage your blood pressure and you’re currently taking medication, be sure to inform your doctor about your plan to exercise. He or she may also advise you to avoid weight training at the beginning.
Tips to Help You Stay Motivated
Starting an exercise program can be overwhelming and scary for a lot of people. To help you stay on the right track, consider these tips:
- Start with manageable chunks of exercise sessions. Don’t plan on doing two sessions of 75 minutes each to meet the minimum physical activity requirement. Instead, go for 2 sessions of 10-11 minute exercises for 7 days.
- Choose something you love. If you enjoy dancing, sign up for Zumba. If you prefer swimming, sign up for one.
- Manage your expectations. You can begin by setting small easy goals so you won’t get disappointed if you don’t notice any results right away.
- Exercise with a friend. It’s always fun to have someone to workout with. Plus, it makes you accountable for each other’s progress too.
- Mix it up a bit. Doing the same thing everyday can get boring eventually even if it’s something you love. Don’t be afraid to try something new to keep the excitement going and to make sure you will stick with an active lifestyle for many years.
We hope these tips can help you stay healthy and fit so you can live your best life.