How Long to Exercise for Healthy Blood Pressure

“To keep the body in good health is a duty, otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” ~ Buddha ~

Hypertension: Defined as a sustained elevation of systemic arterial blood pressure (BP) to a level likely to induce cardiovascular damage or result in other adverse consequences.

Hypertension means that your systolic (the top reading) blood pressure is > 140 mmHg and the bottom or diastolic value is > 90 mmHg, or that you are taking anti-hypertensive medication. I often see this in practice when a person is asked if they have high blood pressure - they will answer "No", but the moment you ask them if they are taking any prescription medication, you might find that they are on anti-hypertensives. The hypertension I refer to here is essential idiopathic hypertension or primary hypertension, there are of cause other forms of hypertension referred to as secondary hypertension or malignant hypertension, and yes also White-Coat hypertension, which means a person only has high blood pressure when it is measured by their physician.

High blood pressure is the major risk factor for heart disease, strokes, kidney disease and even eye disease and is often called the silent killer. According to the South-African Hypertension association approximately 4 in 10 adults older than 25 have hypertension. The unfortunate part is that around 50% of these people are unaware of their condition. Of those who are aware, half do not take any action to control their blood pressure, either through lifestyle modification or medication.

You might not have symptoms, but it’s a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Did you know that high blood pressure can also affect the body in other ways? It can also lead to.

• Pregnancy complications

• Sexual dysfunction

• Cognitive decline

• Kidney failure

• Vision loss

One of the best ways to maintain healthy blood pressure is regular exercise. Even exercising 4 times a week has been shown to benefit. A recently published study looked at 20 obese and prehypertensive men to see if exercise could normalize their blood pressure. Here’s what they found:

60 minutes of exercise 4 times per week (for 12 weeks) significantly reduced mens’ resting blood pressure by 4.3%
 
Plus, the exercise improved their strength and decreased their fat mass.

Here is my recommendation:
Aerobic exercise: walking, cycling, light jogging - 3 - 7  days per week, 30 - 60 minutes. The higher the intensity the shorter the duration
Resistance training: Strength training with weights or body weight or an elastic band, 2 - 3 days per week, 1 set of 15 to 20 repetitions.

Avoid any exercise if your blood pressure is < 200 mmHg/ 110 mmHg. PS! It is always advisable that if you have not done any exercise for some time that you consult your doctor and have yourself tested before starting a programme.

 
There are always things you can do to improve your health! Exercise is certainly one of them. If you have any questions about exercise or blood pressure, send me an email or WhatsApp!