The American College of Sports Medicine makes the following recommendations for reducing hypertension through exercise:
- Perform mainly aerobic activities that involve large muscle groups.
- Exercise at moderate intensities (about 50-85% Max Heart Rate) seems to reduce BP as much as, if not more than, exercise at higher intensities. Click here for more information about calculating target heart rate.
- Frequency of aerobic training: 3-7 days/week. However, because blood pressure may remain reduced for several hours after aerobic exercise, working out every day may provide the most optimal BP control.
- Duration of training session: 30 to 60 minutes
- Resistance training is not recommended as the primary form of exercise training for reducing BP, but should be combined with aerobic training. Resistance training regimens should incorporate incorporate lower resistance with higher repetitions.
3 comments:
All I can say from reading this is I lack the motivation for 30-60 minutes a day (at least when it comes to cardio) but I can see that getting the blood flowing and moving is a good thing. I am trying to get better by changing things up - run some days, do the stairs. Wish I could swim more but it's not in the cards right now. Thanks for this post. Helpful.
Well, also keep in mind that the 30-60 minutes daily recommendation is not asking you to bust your *ss sprinting on the treadmill every single day. For health-related purposes (i.e. lowering blood pressure), it's more of a "brisk walking" sort of category...something that, for you, I would guess is much more manageable from a motivational standpoint.
Exercise is very importent in maintaining a good blood pressure. I also find fish oils to be a great way to help aid in lowering High Blood Pressure.
Regards,
Genesis Health Centre
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