The best exercises to do if you have high blood pressure

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Hypertension, or persistently high blood pressure, is a widespread health condition affecting over a billion individuals globally. Often developing unnoticed, it places significant strain on the cardiovascular system, increasing the likelihood of heart attacks, strokes, and other severe complications. Without intervention, high blood pressure can cause damage to blood vessels, strain the heart, and impair essential organ functions.

Although medications are often essential for severe hypertension, lifestyle modifications are essential for long-term management.

While adjustments to our diet, such as reducing sodium intake and eating nutrient-rich foods, are vital, physical activity is equally powerful in helping to address hypertension. Exercise strengthens the heart and decreases arterial stiffness, encouraging improved circulation. It can also reduce stress, which plays a significant role in blood pressure fluctuations, as well as helping us to reach and maintain a healthy body weight and composition.

However, not all forms of exercise are equal in impacting blood pressure. So, these are some specific activities proven to support healthier blood pressure.

Aerobic exercise

Aerobic activities like brisk walking, swimming or cycling can improve heart and vascular health significantly. These exercises promote better oxygen circulation, decrease vascular stiffness, and increase overall fitness.

For managing blood pressure, moderate-intensity exercise is ideal. This corresponds to a level where you can sustain a conversation but feel your breathing quicken. This is also known as Zone Two.

So, what are the best choices for aerobic activity? In the first instance, the best choice is the one you feel most ready, willing and able to do. If you haven’t run in a while or in fact ever, this clearly won’t be your best option. Consider what you enjoy, do you prefer to exercise inside or outside? Do you want to do something social with others or make it something just for you. Regardless of the activity, consistency and enjoyment are crucial for long-term success. So long as you ensure it ticks the boxes of the right intensity and frequency, which we’ll cover next.

The optimum exercises prescription

Thirty minutes a day, five times a week, has been shown to create meaningful reductions in blood pressure over time.

Resistance training

Resistance training can help lower blood pressure by improving the function of blood vessels and strengthening the heart. It increases the diameter of blood vessels, which allows for greater blood flow to muscles and nerves, ultimately reducing pressure.

As with aerobic exercise, resistance training at even moderate levels strengthens the heart, allowing it to pump more blood with less effort. This lowers the force on blood vessels and reduces total pressure.

The optimum exercises prescription

Aim for three to four sessions per week, each between 30 and 60 minutes.

Isometric exercises

Isometric exercises involve holding muscle contractions without movement, such as wall sits, planks, or gripping an object with steady pressure. Recent studies suggest that isometric workouts are particularly efficient in improving arterial function. The sustained contraction increases blood flow and encourages vascular adaptations, helping to lower blood pressure.

The optimum exercise prescription

Short sessions, as brief as 12 minutes, performed three times per week, have demonstrated significant benefits in controlled studies.

High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

HIIT is a form of training that alternates brief bursts of vigorous exercise, such as sprints or fast cycling, with short recovery periods. A session typically lasts anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.

HIIT improves cardiovascular efficiency by repeatedly elevating and reducing heart rate, which strengthens the heart and optimises circulation. It also supports weight management, which is a key factor in controlling blood pressure. Research shows that HIIT delivers comparable benefits to longer-duration moderate exercise, making it particularly valuable for those with limited time.

The optimum exercise prescription

Aim for 20 to 30 minutes, twice a week.

Gentler movement

Activities like gardening, Tai chi or simply walking the dog in nature all provide moderate physical exertion and stress reduction, both of which are essential for blood pressure management. Gardening involves functional movements such as digging, lifting, and planting, which increase physical activity while also fostering relaxation.

Tai chi, a practice rooted in slow, deliberate movements paired with controlled breathing, is particularly effective in addressing stress-related blood pressure elevation. Its focus on mindfulness and physical balance has been shown to regulate heart rate variability and promote vascular health.

The optimum exercise prescription

One to two hours every day as a minimum.

Frequent movement for desk-bound lifestyles

Prolonged sitting reduces blood flow and can contribute to higher blood pressure. So anyone working a desk job really needs to aim to introduce small periods of activity throughout the day.

Simple actions, such as standing to stretch, climbing stairs, or walking while on a phone call, can improve circulation and counteract the effects of long periods of inactivity. Brief, frequent breaks are more beneficial than a single extended session of exercise when it comes to combating the risks of sitting.

Another concept is “exercise snacking” which involves setting yourself a goal each day of conducting one or more simple exercises in these short breaks, such as wall squats, planks or push ups to both get moving but also challenge yourself to improve.

The optimum exercise prescription

Aim to move once per hour. Every 50 minutes of sitting should equate to at least 10 minutes of movement.

Consult your GP or healthcare provider before beginning any new exercise routine, particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions.

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