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 oxygen to your muscles and cells.
After you finish your workout, and your heart rate returns to a resting level, your blood-pressure should drop.
High blood pressure can be lowered over time by a daily routine of heart-pumping exercises.
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.
* Diastolic Blood Pressure 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.
Why does it matter?
Hypertension , also known as high blood pressure in medicine, is not always accompanied by obvious symptoms. However it can be a serious condition.
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 severe and even life-threatening effects on your body.
What Exercises Help?
Exercise can help lower blood pressure.
Even just one single workout session provides clinically significant cardioprotective (heart-healthy) benefits.
When you exercise multiple times per week, the benefits stack up, resulting in an 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.
You can do 30 minutes five days in a row, or 50 every alternate day. 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.
