Exercise And Blood Pressureex

Exercise and High Blood Pressure
 Exercise, weight management, and a healthy diet are important ways to help prevent high blood pressure. Working out also boosts the effectiveness of blood pressure medication if you're already being treated for hypertension. Be sure to check with your doctor before starting a fitness program.

Have Fun While Exercising
Find activities you enjoy and aim for 30 minutes a day of "exercise" on most days of the week. Daily housework, gardening, washing windows, using the stairs, carrying your groceries, walking at the mall, or riding bikes with the kids all add up to exercise that benefits your heart.
Tip: Increase activity by parking at the end of the lot, or get off the bus a stop early and walk to your destination.

Strengthen Your Heart
Resistance exercise can be done in many ways, such as with free weights, weight machines, exercise bands, or by doing abdominal crunches or curl-ups.  Resistance training helps reduce body fat, increase muscle mass, and boost your metabolic rate. Losing as little as 10 pounds can reduce or help prevent high blood pressure in many overweight individuals. Check with your doctor before starting a new weight-training program.

 Swimming Is Good 
Heart-pumping conditioning exercise is important for lowering blood pressure. Swimming for 30 minutes reduces the amount of circulating adrenaline in the body and relaxes blood vessels. Swimming can help lower your pulse rate and lower blood pressure.

Benefits Of Exercise 
Regular exercise may prevent or control high blood pressure. Moderate-level aerobic activities, such as brisk walking, for 30 minutes a day may be enough to keep you off medications or help them work more effectively. Exercise can reduce your blood pressure readings by as much as 5-15 points. Gradually increase the intensity of your workout to continue lowering your blood pressure to safer levels. Start exercising slowly, as you build up your strength, increase the duration by 5 minutes slowly, trying to do for 30 minutes daily continuously.
Exercise can be done withing the 4 walls of your home too. have the bicycle, treadmill. Do gardening, cleaning, as everything involves all your muscles.
If you can't workout for 30 minutes at a stretch, then try doing for 10 minutes, 3 times a day, as that also helps.
It is important to warm up & cool down after exercise, as that helps your heart rate to increase & decrease gradually.

Medication and Heart Rate
Some heart medications such as beta-blockers or calcium-channel blockers can slow your heart rate. Talk to your doctor and ask what your best target heart rate zone should be during exercise if you take these medications.

Know the Safety Tips
No matter what exercise you do, be aware of your limitations. If the exercise or activity hurts, then stop! If you feel dizzy or have discomfort in your chest, arms, or throat, stop. Also, go slower on hot and humid days or exercise in an air-conditioned facility.

See Your Doctor Regularly
Getting your doctor's approval before starting a fitness program is important if you are sedentary, overweight, or have a high risk of coronary heart disease or other chronic health problem. It's important to have your blood pressure measured by a health care professional, who can advise you as to how often to have it rechecked. Don't wait for unreliable signs such as headaches, a red face, or stress to tell you your blood pressure is too high.

The  Diet Helps too
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 a day. It's rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. It's also low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. According to studies, adopting a DASH diet can reduce systolic blood pressure by 8-14 points. For those over age 50, a systolic blood pressure higher than 140 is a greater risk factor for heart disease than the diastolic blood pressure (lower number).

 Lose 10 Pounds Helps More Than Exercise !
Findings show that losing as few as 10 pounds, if you're overweight, can help reduce or prevent high blood pressure. To lose weight, take in fewer calories than you use each day. Ask your doctor or a registered dietitian how many calories you need daily for weight loss. In addition, boost exercise to burn even more calories.

 Watch Out for Salt
The national blood pressure guidelines recommend limiting sodium to no more than 2,300 milligrams a day (about 1 teaspoon of table salt) or 1,500 milligrams a day, depending on age and other characteristics. By staying on a sodium-restricted diet, your systolic blood pressure (top number) may drop 2 to 8 points. Salt-restricted diets can also help enhance the effects of most blood pressure medications.
Tip: Substitute herbs for salt when cooking, and avoid processed meats and canned foods.