If you have high blood pressure, certain exercises can help lower it safely and effectively. It is confirmed by extensive research. Here’s a guide to the four main types of exercises, how they work, and examples to get you started. Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you’re on medication or have other health conditions.
Endurance Exercises
These are activities that get your heart pumping and keep you moving continuously, like walking, cycling, or swimming.
How They Help Lower Blood Pressure
- Improve the flexibility of blood vessels, making it easier for blood to flow.
- Encourage your body to release chemicals called vasodilators, which relax blood vessels.
- Reduce “arterial stiffness” (tightness in your arteries) and overall resistance to blood flow.
- Lower stress hormones and improve how your body processes sugar, which helps keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.
How to Do Them
- Aim for moderate to vigorous intensity, like brisk walking where you can talk but not sing.
- Exercise 3–5 days per week for at least 30 minutes per session.
- If you’re starting out, begin with light activities and gradually increase the intensity.
Examples of Exercises
These are the exercises to lower blood pressure:
- Brisk walking or jogging
- Cycling (stationary or outdoor)
- Swimming or water aerobics
- Dancing or following an online aerobic class
Isometric (Static) Exercises
These involve holding a position or contracting muscles without moving your body, like squeezing a stress ball.
How They Help Lower Blood Pressure
- Calm your nervous system and reduce its effect on your blood pressure.
- Train your body’s pressure sensors (baroreflex) to respond better.
- Improve the flexibility of blood vessels, making it easier for blood to circulate.
How to Do The Exercises to Lower Blood Pressure
- Perform static exercises 3–4 times a week.
- Hold each contraction for about 2 minutes at 30% of your maximum effort (don’t overstrain).
- Take breaks between sessions.
Examples of Exercises
These are the exercises to lower blood pressure:
- Handgrip exercise: Squeeze a soft ball or grip device for 2 minutes, rest, and repeat.
- Wall sit: Sit against a wall as if you’re on an invisible chair, keeping your back straight, and hold for 30–60 seconds.
- Plank hold: Hold a plank position on your hands or forearms, keeping your back straight.
Resistance (Strength) Exercises
These involve lifting, pushing, or pulling against resistance, like weights or resistance bands.
How They Help Lower Blood Pressure:
- Strengthen your blood vessels and make them more flexible.
- Improve your overall strength and endurance, which supports a healthy heart.
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), a form of resistance training, alternates between short bursts of intense effort and rest, further improving heart health.
How to Do Them
- Use light to moderate weights or resistance bands.
- Aim for 2–3 sessions per week, with a day of rest in between.
- Perform 2–3 sets of 8–12 repetitions for each exercise, ensuring proper form.
Examples of Exercises
- Bodyweight exercises: Push-ups, squats, or lunges.
- Resistance band exercises: Bicep curls or leg presses using a band.
- Dumbbell exercises: Chest press or shoulder press.
- HIIT workout: Alternate 30 seconds of jumping jacks with 1 minute of slow walking, repeating for 15 minutes.
Breathing and Relaxation Exercises
These focus on controlling your breathing and promoting relaxation, often inspired by yoga or meditation techniques.
How They Help Lower Blood Pressure
- Train your body to respond more calmly to stress, a major trigger for high blood pressure.
- Help your blood vessels relax by lowering activity in the “fight or flight” nervous system.
- Reset your body’s natural blood pressure regulation system.
How to Do Them
- Dedicate 10–15 minutes daily to slow, deep breathing.
- Use a device or app to guide you, or follow yoga-based breathing practices.
- Continue consistently for 8–12 weeks to see results.
Examples of Exercises
- Deep belly breathing: Place one hand on your belly, breathe in deeply through your nose, and feel your belly expand. Exhale slowly through your mouth.
- 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold your breath for 7 counts, and exhale for 8 counts.
- Yoga poses with breathing focus: Try child’s pose or corpse pose while concentrating on slow, steady breathing.
These exercises can be part of your daily routine and are a natural way to improve your heart health and manage hypertension.
