What Effect Does Exercise Have on Blood Pressure?
Exercise increases your heart rate and causes blood to flow through your arteries at a higher pressure. This helps oxygenate your blood and deliver nutrients and oxygenated blood to your muscles and cells.
After you finish your workout, and your heart rate returns to its resting level, your blood-pressure should drop.
High blood pressure can be dangerous, but a daily routine of heart-pumping exercises will help you to reduce your blood pressure.
What is blood pressure?
Blood Pressure measures the force your blood exerts on the walls of blood vessels.
This is composed of two numbers.
* Systolic Blood Pressure The pressure in your arteries as your heart pumps blood throughout your body.
The pressure in your arteries between heartbeats.
Blood pressure of 120/80 is considered a healthy reading for resting blood. Exercise can increase systolic (first number) blood pressure to 160-200mm Hg for healthy people.
What is the point?
Hypertension , also known as high blood pressure in medicine, is not always accompanied by any obvious symptoms. However it can be a serious condition and should never be underestimated.
Your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, stroke and other health issues increases if your blood pressure is higher than normal. Blood pulsing through your arteries at high speeds can cause damage to the organ tissue they nourish.
Untreated high blood pressure can lead to serious and life-threatening health problems.
What Exercises Help?
Exercise can help lower blood pressure.
Just one exercise session can provide clinically significant benefits for heart health.
When you exercise multiple times per week, the benefits stack up, providing a greater protective effect .
The health guidelines recommend that you engage in at least 150 minutes per week of physical activity that elevates your heart rate. You can divide up those 150 minutes however you like.
Exercise for 30 minutes five days a week or 50 minutes once a month. If your schedule allows, you can do several mini-workouts (5-10 minutes) on the same day.
Physical activity of any kind is beneficial. You can lower your blood-pressure by doing any physical activity, whether it’s running, lifting weights, playing a sport or taking a brisk stroll.
Speak to your doctor if you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure before beginning a new workout program. You can work with them to create an exercise plan that is safe and effective and meets your health goals and needs.
