From MayoClinic.com
Special to CNN.com
May 15, 2003
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/
One of the most important things you can do to control
your blood pressure is to become more active. Physical
activity can help prevent you from getting high blood
pressure (hypertension) in the first place. And if
your blood pressure is already high, physical activity
can help control and treat it.
A major reason high blood pressure is so common — one
in four American adults have it — is that people
aren't active enough. Modern conveniences and lack of
time foster sedentary lifestyles. About 38 percent of
Americans age 18 and older don't get any exercise,
according to recent surveys from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. Only 23 percent
exercise enough to actually help their cardiovascular
fitness.
The benefits of staying active
Physical activity is crucial to controlling your blood
pressure because it makes your heart stronger. A
stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort.
And the less your heart has to work, the less force,
or pressure, that's exerted on your arteries.
Becoming more active can lower your blood pressure by
as much as 5 to 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
That's the same effect some blood pressure medications
have. Once you get moving, you might even be able to
reduce some of your medications, although you should
always talk to your doctor first.
In addition, regular activity also helps you maintain
a healthy weight, which, again, helps control blood
pressure. And if your blood pressure is at a desirable
level — that is, less than 120/80 mm Hg — physical
activity can help prevent it from rising as you age.
Exercise for healthy aging
Resolving to exercise? Jump-start your program
Here are a few things to bear in mind before you start
an exercise program or increase your physical activity
in a less formal way:
See your doctor first if you're 40 or older and have
never exercised, or if you smoke, are overweight, have
a chronic health condition, have a family history of
heart-related problems before age 55, are unsure of
your health status, or if you have previously had
chest discomfort, shortness of breath or dizziness
when exerting yourself.
If you take medication regularly, ask your doctor if
increased activity will make it work differently or
alter its side effects. Drugs for diabetes and
cardiovascular disease can sometimes cause
dehydration, impaired balance and blurred vision. Some
medications can also affect the way your body reacts
to exercise.
If you check your own blood pressure, measure it
before physical activity, not after, to ensure an
accurate reading. That's because activity can reduce
your blood pressure for hours.
No pain, no problem
The motto of physical fitness used to be "No pain, no
gain." Many people thought they had to transform
themselves into world-class athletes or spend hours in
the gym each day to truly benefit from physical
activity.
But no more.
Studies from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine
show that you don't need to perform great feats of
endurance. Simply adding some moderate physical
activities to your daily routine will help. Mowing
your lawn counts. So does dancing, scrubbing the
floors or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Moderate is the key, though. Activities or chores that
aren't at least moderately exerting will offer little,
if any, benefit. Just what is moderate activity? Any
activity that you think is fairly light to somewhat
hard to perform.
How to measure exercise intensity
Types of activity
Total fitness involves three components: aerobic
activity to improve your heart and lung capacity
(cardiovascular health), flexibility exercises to
improve flexibility in your joints, and strengthening
exercises to maintain bone and muscle mass.
Of those three, aerobic activity is the best at
controlling high blood pressure. An activity is
aerobic if it places added demands on your heart,
lungs and muscles, increasing your need for oxygen.
Cleaning house, playing golf or raking leaves are all
aerobic activities if they require a fairly light to
somewhat hard effort.
Other common forms of aerobic activity:
Walking
Jogging
Bicycling
Swimming
Exercise machines, including stationary bikes,
treadmills, rowing machines, stair climbers and ski
machines
Don't do isometric exercises — straining of your
muscles without moving. Muscle toning with weights is
OK, but straining while doing isometrics can
significantly increase your blood pressure.
Fitting it in
Be as active as you can each day. At a minimum, try to
burn at least 150 calories daily doing aerobic
activities. For moderately intense activities, that'll
take you about 30 minutes. The more you weigh, the
less time it takes to burn calories, and the less you
weigh, the more time. However, if you use 30 minutes
as your guide, you'll be close to getting the minimum
amount of daily activity you need.
If it's hard to carve out a 30-minute block of time in
your busy schedule, try to do a series of 5- to
10-minute sessions throughout the day to rack up a
total of 30. Park your car a bit farther away from
work. Take a short walk during your lunch break. Sneak
in some household chores while the baby's playing.
Three 10-minute periods of activity are almost as
beneficial to your overall fitness as one 30-minute
session.
Doubling up during your daily routine also builds up
total activity time. Walk on your treadmill while
chatting on the phone with friends, for instance. Or
hop on your stationary bike while catching up on the
day's news.
Why exercise? Physical activity and its health
benefits
Starting an exercise program? Take these 6 steps
Avoiding injuries
Injuries do sometimes happen during physical activity.
You can reduce your risk, however, by following these
guidelines:
Drink plenty of water. Water helps maintain normal
body temperature and cools working muscles. To help
replenish the fluids you lose, drink water before and
after your activity.
Dress appropriately. Wear loose-fitting, comfortable
clothing that allows perspiration to escape from your
body.
Warm up and cool down. Stretching before an aerobic
activity prepares your body for the upcoming activity.
Stretching afterward helps improve your flexibility.
Be active regularly. Your risk of injury increases if
you go back and forth between intense workouts and
weeks of inactivity.
Avoid start-and-stop activities. A controlled,
continuous form of activity, such as walking or
cycling, generally produces less risk of a muscle pull
or other injury than activities in which you start and
stop frequently, such as basketball or tennis.
Don't compete. Avoid the physical and emotional
intensity that often accompanies competitive sports.
Let food digest. Wait 2 to 3 hours after eating a
large meal before being active. Digestion directs
blood toward your digestive system and away from your
heart.
Tailor your activity to the weather. When it's hot and
humid, reduce your speed and distance. Or exercise
early in the morning or later in the evening when it's
cooler.
Avoid activity near heavy traffic. Breathing carbon
monoxide given off by automobiles reduces the oxygen
supply to your heart.
Know the warning signs. Seek immediate care if you
experience any of these:
Tightness in your chest
Severe shortness of breath
Chest pain or pain in your arms or jaw, often on the
left side
Fast, irregular heartbeats (palpitations)
Dizziness, faintness or nausea
Moderate activity shouldn't cause discomfort. Your
breathing might be increased and you should feel as
though you're working. But you shouldn't feel pain or
experience exhaustion.
With these tips in mind, the health benefits of
physical activity are likely to outweigh your risk of injury.
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