10 Exercises for High Blood Pressure Patients

High blood pressure can cause heart diseases and strokes. One of the ways how a person can reduce, maintain, or control their high blood pressure is by exercising regularly.

Hence, you can try exercises for high blood pressure that lower the same while reducing weight and improving your overall health. This article will look at 10 of the best exercises for people with high blood pressure.

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What is the impact of exercise on high blood pressure?

• Heart health is improved, and a stronger heart can pump blood more efficiently to decrease the force on the arteries.
• Also, bodyweight is reduced, which reduces your blood pressure.

Yes, exercise for high blood pressure can help control it and improve overall health and well-being. Exercise also reduces body weight, which strengthens the heart and keeps it in prime condition. Exercise is also known to enhance emotional health greatly.

1. Aerobics

Aerobics refers to any activity that increases the heart and breathing rates of a person. For example, the activity could be dancing, jogging, climbing stairs, bicycling, etc. A sedentary lifestyle is the chief cause of high blood pressure, and you can try any of these above exercises for high blood pressure to alleviate symptoms.

Moreover, regular aerobic exercise can help you lose weight. Weight loss of up to 2.3 kg is sufficient to reduce high blood pressure.

• Duration: 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week 
• Best Time: Start of the day
• Location: Indoors or outdoors
• Impact: Increases heart and breathing rates, helps you to lose weight, which reduces blood pressure

2. Breathing Exercises

Breathing exercises are another great exercise for high blood pressure reduction. A study carried out on Japanese high blood pressure patients showed that taking 30 deep breaths can help maintain blood pressure levels.

Another experiment suggests that you can also try to take six deep breaths within 30 seconds. To perform the exercise, you need to sit in a comfortable spot, keep your spine straight, close your eyes and relax. Set a timer on your phone for 30 seconds and take 6 deep breaths in the duration. This can help reduce systolic blood pressure.

• Duration: 30 seconds 
• Best Time: Any time
• Location: Indoors or outdoors
• Impact: Known to regulate blood pressure levels if performed over time

3. Cycling

Vigorous exercise is very useful for high BP control because it reduces blood pressure stiffness to allow blood to flow more easily. Blood pressure is lowest after a vigorous workout.

Hence, health professionals suggest that three ten-minute workouts are a better way to maintain blood pressure than a full-on thirty-minute workout.

Hence, whether it is regular biking/cycling or stationary cycling, it is more effective to combat high blood pressure with short bursts of exercise than longer duration ones.

• Duration: 30 minutes per day
• Best Time: Not specified 
• Location: Indoors or outdoors
• Impact: More effective at preventing a blood pressure spike

4. Desk Treadmill

An experiment was carried out on desk treadmills. Participants were supposed to cycle at the rate of 1-mile-per-hour for 10 minutes per hour. The blood pressure readings, in this case, were much more optimal. Hence, it is believed that shorter exercise periods spread throughout the day are better than higher-duration exercises for high blood pressure.

• Duration: 10 minutes per hour
• Best Time: Any time during the day
• Location: Indoors
• Impact: Optimal exercise for reducing blood pressure

5. Hiking

Hiking can reduce blood pressure by 10 points. Climbing up a steep incline requires a lot of muscle power. It also helps to improve the fitness level of a person. Hence, hiking is also suggested as an exercise to lower blood pressure. However, since hiking is performed for a longer duration, it is not a very effective activity.

• Duration: 30 minutes
• Best Time: Not specified
• Location: Outdoors
• Impact: Can lower blood pressure by 10 points

6. Pedal Pushing

The same experiment with the desk treadmill was carried out with pedal pushing or stationary cycling. It was also found that pedal pushing was beneficial when done in short bursts rather than at one go.

• Duration: 10 minutes per hour
• Best Time: Any time during the day
• Location: Indoors
• Impact: Optimal exercise for reducing blood pressure

7. Swimming

Swimming is among the best exercises for high blood pressure in adults over 60. It was beneficial in controlling blood pressure. By increasing their swim time to 45 minutes a day, they reduced their systolic pressure by 9 points. However, if the exercise is not sustained, then you may lose the benefits of the exercise.

• Duration: 45 minutes a day
• Best Time: Not specified
• Location: Outdoor or indoor swimming pool
• Impact: Reduced blood pressure by 9 points in adults above the age of 60

8. Walking

Walking and hiking are two of the most beneficial exercises for high blood pressure. They reduce the stiffness in blood vessels, and that allows blood to flow more smoothly. The effects of the exercise are noticeable immediately after. This means blood pressure is reduced at this time.

Hence, break up your exercise time into slots for a more effective program to reduce blood pressure.

• Duration: 3 10-minute slots per day
• Best Time: Not specified
• Location: Outdoors or indoors
• Impact: Reduces and helps to maintain blood pressure

9. Weight Training

You may be surprised to know that weight training is an exercise for high BP! However, health professionals recommend weight training to control and maintain blood pressure.

Strength training raises blood pressure levels initially, but as you continue with the exercise, it will significantly improve blood pressure.

• Duration: Not specified
• Best Time: Not specified
• Location: Indoors
• Impact: Overall health is improved, which leads to improvement in blood pressure

10. Yoga

Yoga offers many kinds of exercises, such as breathing exercises or poses that help with high blood pressure. You can consult a trainer for the exact way to apply these poses. Many poses such as Viparita Karani, Uttanasana are excellent to help you relax and lower your systolic pressure. Yoga is among the best Indian exercises to control high bp.

• Duration: As per the instructor
• Best Time: Not specified 
• Location: Indoors or outdoors
• Impact: Helps to reduce high blood pressure

There are many benefits of exercise for high blood pressure. Exercise helps to maintain and regulate blood flow. There are other benefits such as:

• Keeps blood vessels flexible so that blood flows easily through them
• Helps reduce high blood pressure in the long run
• Also, it helps to reduce weight and maintain BMI

So far, we have looked at the benefits of exercise for patients having high blood pressure. However, certain exercises are to be avoided. The exercises to avoid in high blood pressure are:

• Sprinting
• Squash
• Skydiving
• Scuba diving
• Any other high-intensity, short-term exercise

If you have high blood pressure, then exercise precautions must be practised as well. Hence, consult with a doctor before you kick start any exercise regimen.

A person trying to control one medical condition should not land up with another. Consult with your physician before you try out any of the above strenuous activities.

Before starting on any of these exercises, you should consult with your regular physician. Discuss the duration, the best time of the day to exercise and the frequency of the workout.

Bottomline

In conclusion, high blood pressure is a debilitating disease. It is also known as a silent killer. Increased blood pressure can cause kidney disease, stroke, and heart failure. Symptoms of this disease include rapid heartbeat, dizziness, palpitations, etc.

One of the best ways to cure high blood pressure is by making lifestyle changes. Avoiding a sedentary life and including exercise in your everyday life regulates and controls high blood pressure.

Moreover, doctors may prescribe medication as well to keep the condition under check.

Therefore, incorporate exercise for high blood pressure into your daily life to maintain proper blood pressure levels!