Effective Exercises To Lower Blood Pressure

A healthy heart needs stable blood circulation. Checking your blood pressure can often give you an indication whether your heart is working well and since everyone has an electronic device to measure BP at home these days, getting an update on your heart health has become quite easy. Yet, there are many others who suffer from hypertension and need to lower their BP in order to maintain a healthy heart and a healthy body. Shalini Bhargava has recommended the best exercises to lower BP for those suffering from hypertension. Check them out.

What You Should Know:

• What is high BP?
• Types of Hypertension?
• Best exercises to lower BP

What is High BP?

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the physical condition wherein the blood pressure in your artery walls is considered higher than normal, i.e., over 130 mmHg. It is often known as the silent killer for it has no clear symptoms. The causes of high blood pressure include a variety of reasons that coincide with causes of other diseases.

Types of Hypertension:

There are two types of hypertension conditions of varied causes and severity.

• Primary hypertension

Primary hypertension is the most common kind of hypertension. If someone’s blood pressure readings range between 130 – 139 and/or 80-89 mmHg on the blood-pressure scale, they may be suffering from primary hypertension. There are no identifiable cause of primary hypertension, however, genes, physical changes, and lifestyle changes contribute to worsening of the disease.

• Secondary hypertension

If the patient’s blood-pressure reading crosses 140 and/or 90 mmHg then they could be suffering from secondary hypertension. This type of high-blood pressure is considered more severe than primary hypertension and its causes include kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnea, congenital heart defects, thyroid problems, medication side effects, use of illegal drugs, alcohol abuse, adrenal gland problems, certain endocrine tumours, and more.

Best Exercises to Lower BP

Despite the severity of health risk it poses, high-blood pressure can be lowered with lifestyle changes. One of these include regular exercise. Thus, we are sharing some of the best exercises to lower BP that are recommended by Shalini Bhargava. Check them out.

1. Cardio

Apart from burning a healthy number of calories, cardio also helps to keep your heart healthy by increasing the blood flow of the body. Light cardio exercises like brisk walking and cycling or swimming are considered healthy for hypertension patients.

2. Climbing stairs

The simplest exercise a hypertension patient can do to stay fit is climbing the stairs. Skipping the elevator and climbing stairs can increase your blood-flow while burning calories.

3. Stretching

Looking to improve your flexibility and improve heart health at the same time? Take up stretching every day and reduce blood pressure by maintaining blood flow in your muscles. Stretching regularly also prevents you from back and other muscle pains.

4. Yoga and flexibility training

Yoga and flexibility training lower stress levels and relaxes the muscles. This can help lower your heart rate and blood pressure.

To keep your blood pressure in control, it is essential that you monitor your heart health from all aspects. These include regular health check-ups at home, periodic visits to the doctor, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, eating well, as well as exercising regularly. For more fitness or nutrition related advice, visit the Activ Living Community.