Start with exercise to lower blood pressure

In addition to the use of drugs, exercises to reduce blood pressure play a particularly important role in preventing and supporting effective and safe disease treatment. So start with exercise to lower your blood pressure, boost your health, and help manage your symptoms.

Regular physical activity will keep the body physically and mentally healthy. A healthy heart can pump more blood, lowering your blood pressure.
Blood pressure will be measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). A normal adult's blood pressure is less than 120 mm Hg for systolic pressure and less than 80 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. Blood pressure is affected by the resistance of the peripheral blood vessels (the blood vessels outside the heart), the higher the peripheral resistance, the higher the blood pressure.
Many people with high blood pressure still mistakenly believe that they should not work too hard or do sports. This is completely wrong, because exercises to lower blood pressure bring great benefits to improve the condition of the disease, helping to improve health. Specifically:
Regular and reasonable exercise helps the cardiovascular system work better, enhances blood circulation so that veins bring blood to the heart quickly; Regulating cholesterol in the blood helps minimize blood vessel blockage, atherosclerosis; Helps to refresh the mind, upbeat mood and the body to become more agile; Strengthen the body's resistance, support recovery during treatment.

However, depending on the physical condition and blood pressure of each person, there are different training methods. For people with high blood pressure, the most important thing is to exercise moderately, not too little but not too much. But how do you know if it's fit or not? The level of fitness depends on the judgment of each person. Some people know fitness through sweating during exercise. But the best way is to count the wrist pulse. People with high blood pressure will count how many pulses in 1 minute to see if they are fit. Fitness standards are as follows:
From 40-49 years old: pulse 120 times/minute; From 50-59 years old: pulse 110 times/minute; From 60-69 years old: pulse 100 times/minute; From 70 years old and above: pulse 90 times/minute. For people over 60 years old, you should count your pulse twice: before and after exercise. After exercise, 20 times/minute increase compared to before is just enough.
2. Start with exercise to lower your blood pressure Exercise is one of the keys to lowering your blood pressure. Exercise also increases the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs. Here are the things to start exercising for people with high blood pressure :
Find joy in exercise: Find activities you love and aim to "exercise" 30 minutes a day on most days of the week. You can do yoga, hiking, gardening, and anything else that makes your heart beat a little faster. Try finding a coach: If you want an expert to help you get started, consider getting a coach to show you what to do. They can help you get each move right and get the best results. Endurance training: Endurance training should be part of the routine. You can use dumbbells, machines, ropes, or your own body weight by doing sit-ups. You will lose body fat, increase muscle mass and metabolic rate. Lose at least 10kg or help prevent high blood pressure if you are overweight. Diving and swimming for cardiovascular fitness: Aerobic exercise is great for your blood pressure. Swimming is a gentle way to do it. How much exercise is enough: Do something of moderate intensity, like brisk walking for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days or more a week. That may be enough to help you stop using the drugs or help them work better. Exercise can lower your blood pressure by 5 to 15 points. Gradually make the exercise more intense to further lower blood pressure to a safer level. Start slowly: Start slowly to prevent injury. Start with 10 to 15 minutes of exercise you enjoy, such as walking around the block or on the treadmill. You can gradually make your workouts longer and harder. Move to avoid injury: If you're new to exercise, be sure to adjust your pace. Choose low-to-moderate intensity exercise like yoga, gardening, or any other activity you can do at a moderate pace. Gradually increase the intensity and duration of exercise as you become more fatigued to help maintain reduced blood pressure. Make exercise convenient: Commit to exercise as part of your schedule. Find a time that works for you. Do small exercises: You can jog in place or do aerobic exercise for 10 minutes. Three small 10-minute workouts equates to 30 minutes of daily exercise. Set up a home gym: Choose items that match what you want to do: benches, jump ropes, fit balls, exercise ropes, or tubes and weights. You can store them in the cupboard when not in use. If you have more space and a larger budget, consider buying a treadmill or stationary bike. Warm up and cool down: Warming up before exercise and cooling down afterwards is important for people with high blood pressure. These exercises get your heart rate up and gradually back to normal. Walking in place or on a treadmill for 10 minutes is good to warm up before exercising and also helps cool down. Try a heart rate monitor: A heart rate monitor can help you quickly assess your pulse. Place the included band on the chest underneath your shirt. By looking at the watch while exercising, you can know your actual heart rate. This is a good alternative to catching your pulse manually. Ask your doctor to recommend the best target heart rate zone for you.

Know safety tips: No matter what exercise you do, be aware of your limitations. If the exercise or activity hurts, stop! If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable in your chest, arms, or throat, stop. Alternatively, walk more slowly on hot and humid days or exercise in an air-conditioned building. DASH diet: You can lower your systolic blood pressure (the top number) by switching to the DASH diet. The DASH diet is based on 2,000 calories per day. It is rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. It's also low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. Lose 10 kg of weight: If you are overweight, losing 10 kg can help lower or prevent high blood pressure. To lose weight, consume fewer calories than you use each day. Ask your doctor or dietitian how many calories you need daily to lose weight. Exercise helps you burn more calories. Be careful with salt: National guidelines recommend no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day (about 1 teaspoon of table salt). The limit is 1,500 milligrams per day for some people, depending on age and other things. By maintaining a sodium-restricted diet, your systolic blood pressure can drop by 2-8 points. A salt-restricted diet can also help enhance the effects of most blood pressure medications. 3. Some exercises to lower blood pressure at home 3.1. Lower blood pressure with 5-minute massage This is a method that has been applied by Traditional Chinese Medicine since ancient times in the treatment of patients who need to lower blood pressure.
Execution:
– Sit up straight and relax the whole body including the mind and body, from the biceps to the legs;
– Use your fingers to gently stroke along from point 1 (located below the earlobes, behind the jaw) to point 2 (located near the collarbone). Note that only lightly stroked, not pressed, pressed, or squeezed;
– Perform on both opposite sides and repeat this movement 10-20 times for each side;
– At the point near the collarbone, gently massage each side for 1 minute. Use only moderate force so that the person who needs to lower blood pressure does not feel pain.
3.2. Exercise Fist for 16 minutes This exercise has been researched, applied and achieved by scientists at McMaster University in Ontario (Canada).
Execution:
– Sit up straight, completely relax your body, place your right hand spread freely on the table or you can hang it if you want;
– Grasp a small leather ball in your hand, hold for about 5 seconds and then release;
– Do this movement, repeat the movement for 2 minutes, rest for 2 smokes and then continue;
– Right end switch to left hand and repeat the same movements with the time as above;
- Continue to perform the above movements 1 more time.
So the total time for the exercise is 16 minutes with 8 minutes equivalent to 2 exercises for each hand.
3.3. Chain of 4 movements – Movement 1: Swipe the ears. Use your thumb and index finger to swipe along the earlobe 9-10 times from top to bottom. If possible, ask someone to help you stroke along the spine. This movement will help to ventilate the blood, regulate and stimulate the sympathetic nerves.
– Movement 2: Swipe along both sides of the nose. Use 2 index fingers to swipe from the press along the sides of the nose, then across the edge of the mouth to the tip of the chin. This movement stimulates the production of endorphins that have a sedative effect, lowering blood pressure
– Movement 3: Swipe along your eyebrows. Using the index and middle fingers, swipe from the horizontal line along the brow bone to the temple to the outer eyelid of the eye. Swipe about 10 times on each side. This movement will help relieve congestion in the clogged acupuncture points in the forehead area, helping blood qi to circulate.
– Movement 4: Sit or lie down to relax. Let the person with high blood pressure sit comfortably, lean back on a chair or lie down to relax and regulate breathing. You need to concentrate your thoughts on the ten tips of your toes. Lasts for more than 10 minutes. This movement helps to stabilize blood pressure, stabilize nerves, relax the body and circulate blood.

4. Notes when exercising for people with high blood pressure People with high blood pressure should perform daily exercises or movements to help lower blood pressure, this is especially important to support support the treatment process. However, in the process of exercise, it is necessary to note the following issues:
Depending on each stage of the disease, the exercise regimen for people with high blood pressure will be different. Because everyone's condition is different, some people are severely ill and some are mild. Therefore, the exercises will need to be changed to suit the condition of each person. Patients need to persevere in regular exercise for at least 2 to 3 months to see the effect. This method requires patient patience. Note that before exercising, people with high blood pressure need to warm up carefully and fully from the head, neck, hands, hips, knees, and ankles to avoid injury. After exercising, you need to take time to relax so that your blood pressure is balanced back to a stable level. When performing exercises for people with high blood pressure, remember to drink enough water before, during and after exercise to replenish the necessary amount of water to avoid dehydration of the body. While practicing, it is necessary to perform regular and deep breathing movements, if you feel tired and short of breath, you need to stop and rest, do not exert yourself, which can cause danger. Invite others to practice together so that having a companion to practice together will bring better results. The training time should not be too long to cause fatigue, but it should not be too short, it will not bring maximum effect, it is best to spend about 20-30 minutes every day to practice. In addition, hypertensive patients should implement and cooperate with doctors in adjusting their diet and exercise to minimize the complications of the disease, ensure good health and prolong life. life and avoid complications.
One of the safest and most accurate ways to know your blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked at a hospital with a reputable Cardiology specialist. The basic hypertension package deployed at Vinmec International General Hospital is the first choice for people at risk of high blood pressure or showing signs of hypertension. The examination package will help determine the causes, complications and levels of hypertension, help patients understand their health status and promptly take necessary interventions.

References: webmd.com, mayoclinic.org, healthxchange.sg