Can exercise lower blood pressure?

Fitness is something that many people do in their daily lives. Of course, the main purpose of fitness for many people is to improve their physical fitness or to make their body shape look good. In addition, fitness has many other benefits. For example, if you master the correct fitness methods, it can also lower blood pressure. Below, I will introduce to you several exercises that can lower blood pressure!

1. Jogging

The amount of exercise is greater than walking and is suitable for patients with mild symptoms. The maximum heart rate can reach 120 to 130 beats per minute. Long-term persistence can steadily lower blood pressure, stabilize pulse, enhance digestive function, and alleviate symptoms. The jogging speed should be slow, and the time should be increased gradually, with 15 to 30 minutes each time being appropriate.

2. Cycling

An endurance exercise that can improve cardiopulmonary function. It can not only exercise muscles and joints, lose weight, and shape the body, but also strengthen the heart and prevent high blood pressure. It also prevents brain aging and improves the agility of the nervous system. When exercising, you should maintain the correct posture, adjust the height of the handlebars and the bicycle seat, position your feet properly, and apply even force on the pedals. Each session should last 30 to 60 minutes at a moderate speed.

3. Tai Chi

Please see the survey data: the average blood pressure of elderly people aged 50 to 89 who have practiced Tai Chi for a long time is 134/80 mmHg, which is significantly lower than that of elderly people of the same age who do not practice Tai Chi (154/82 mmHg). In addition, yoga also has the same effect, and is especially suitable for female patients with hypertension.

4. Horizontal Movement

Scientists have proved through experiments that modern people's high blood pressure may be related to their upright lifestyle. People spend two-thirds of their lives in a vertical position, and for people in big cities, this rate reaches more than three-quarters. The time spent in the supine position is decreasing. Over time, this causes the cardiovascular system to be overloaded, affecting blood pressure regulation and becoming one of the root causes of high blood pressure. Therefore, doing horizontal exercises frequently will be able to effectively control blood pressure, such as swimming, crawling, supine gymnastics, and scrubbing the floor with hands.

5. Unsuitable exercise

Strength exercises, anaerobic exercises such as fast running, rapid bending over, large changes in body position, and activities that require holding your breath can cause a rapid and substantial increase in blood pressure and are prone to accidents, so they should not be done. In addition, winter swimming, dancing the yangge, etc. should also be avoided as much as possible.

Take winter swimming for example. Due to the strong cold stimulation, the blood vessels on the surface of the body may contract sharply, forcing the blood in the superficial blood vessels to flow back to the internal organs and deep tissues, causing blood pressure to rise. Making the blood pressure of patients who already have high blood pressure even higher, there is a risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents such as cerebral vascular rupture and bleeding.