Physical activity and High Blood Pressure
Physical activity and High Blood Pressure
Many studies reveal the importance of a physical
activity program brings in reducing the development of high
blood pressure (HTA) and in reducing the risk to the
population is already developing the disease, helping to
reduce the values.
Holding regular exercise and moderate intensity
(intensity that calculated according to the age and physical
condition of the practitioner but it should be around 65% to
75% of heart rate reserve) leads to a significant and lasting reduction in systolic blood pressure
(maximum) and diastolic (minimum). Regular exercise also reduces the dose of drugs used to control the
disease and improve on one's quality of life, of course is also associated to an appropriate nutritional
program and rich in vegetables and fruits and low in saturated fats, sugar and salt mainly.
Following is a table indicating the values to which we must be careful where the blood pressure
lies and needs some extra care.
Blood pressure
Category
Low blood pressure
(hypotension)
Normal
Prehypertension
High Blood Pressure
(hypertension Stage 1)
High Blood Pressure
(hypertension Stage 2)
High Blood Pressure
(hypertension Stage 2)
Systolic
mm Hg (upper )
Less than 90
or
Diastolic
mm Hg (lower )
Less than 60
90 to 120
120-139
140-159
and
or
or
60 to 80
69-89
90-99
160 or higher
or
100 or higher
180 or higher
or
110 or higher
naturalhealthadvisory.com/bloodpressure
The benefits of regular physical activity for the general wellbeing (physical and mental) of each
individual are due to the attitudes adopted by physical exercise programs.
There is a high probability that the lower prevalence of coronary problems and the longevity of
the active population compared to sedentary individuals are due to both direct and intrinsic effects of
physical activity as the other indirect.
Regarding the type of exercise should opt for aerobic exercises like walking, running, swimming,
cycling, tennis etc which can be continuous or discontinuous as both bring cardiovascular benefits to this
type of patients. The best physical condition is the result of the functional capacity of the lungs,
increased muscle efficiency, better oxygen transfer due to a more developed aerobic capacity and
decreased resistance opposed by emptying the arteries of the heart.
Raquel Madeira/ Personal Trainer
Page 1
Physical activity and High Blood Pressure
The prescription of physical activity for the high blood pressure population may contain some
features such as:
• Frequency: every day or 3- 4 times week
• Duration: 20-30 minutes every day or 45-60 minutes when 3-4 times week
•Intensity: Moderate, 50-80% HR max (maximum heart rate) according to the physical
condition, age and degree of practitioner training.
• Exercise type: cardiovascular exercise like walking, running, swimming, cycling etc continuous
or interval, muscle strengthening exercises involving large muscle mass to body weight or moderate
resistance.
• General care: check your blood pressure daily for those who are hypertensive and never train
when it is higher than 160- 100 mmHg, avoid exercises above shoulder level with high loads and
resistance exercises like planks (only short periods of time-some seconds)
Running and High Blood Pressure
When high blood pressure is controlled, a physical activity such as
running for example is recommended, provided that the person does not
show signs of injury in important organ such as the heart and kidneys.
Regular and systematic runs can reduce blood pressure and provide
many other benefits, decreased body weight is one of them. However, the
activities must respect certain limits, it is believed that work done at an
intensity between 50% and 70% of maximum heart rate, lasting 30-50
minutes and at a frequency of three to five times a week, are able to reduce
blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.
Regular exercise of aerobic activity generate physiological
adaptations and bring benefit for hypertension:
* Reduces blood pressure at rest
* Reduces blood pressure during exercise
* Help to lose weight
* Increased HDL (good) cholesterol
* Lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol
* Loss of salt and water through sweating
* Decreased blood viscosity
* Reduction of sympathetic tone with a reduction of the concentration of adrenaline in blood
and improvement in heart rate
Raquel Madeira/ Personal Trainer
Page 2
Physical activity and High Blood Pressure
* Favorable psychological effect of "wellbeing"
* Studies have shown that in obese hypertension, exercise reduces insulin, which in turn
reduces the absorption of salt in the body, reducing both the weight and hypertension.
Personal trainer Raquel Madeira
[email protected]
Bibliography: Teacher Alex Batalha Machado da Silva- Phisical Education Teacher-2003
Raquel Madeira/ Personal Trainer
Page 3