Adding 5 Minutes of Exercise Every Day Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
- New research shows that adding a few minutes of vigorous “daily” exercise to your daily routine can help control blood pressure.
- Heart-pumping activities such as cycling, running, and stair climbing were associated with lower blood pressure among study participants.
- An additional 5 minutes of exercise led to a slight improvement in blood pressure, and there were better results with an additional 10 and 20 minutes. of physical activity.
- Experts recommend aiming for 30 minutes of exercise every day to control blood pressure and keep the heart healthy.
Exercise is widely associated with positive outcomes, such as maintaining healthy blood pressure.
Intermittent exercise can get your heart pumping, but regular exercise is key to overall health.
A new study published on November 6 in the journal Circulation suggests that adding a few minutes of vigorous exercise to your daily routine can help lower blood pressure.
The researchers found that an additional 5 minutes of stair climbing, cycling and running were associated with modest reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, while clinically meaningful improvements were seen in another 10 and 20 minutes of daily exercise.
Low levels of movement, such as standing or walking, had little effect on blood pressure.
“Our findings show that, for many people, exercise is key to lowering blood pressure,” first author Jo Blodgett, PhD, senior researcher at UCL Surgery & Interventional Science and the Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health, said. he said in a statement. .
“The good news is that regardless of your physical strength, it doesn’t take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure. But if you want to change blood pressure, putting more demand on the cardiovascular system through exercise will have a big effect,” Blodgett continued.
The research team analyzed health data and blood pressure measurements from 14,761 participants with an average age of 54 from six groups in the Prospective Physical Activity, Sitting, and Sleep consortium (ProPASS).
They tracked blood pressure changes over a 24-hour period involving six different activities at the following regular intervals:
- sleep – 7.1 hours
- sedentary behavior (ie, sitting) – 10.7 hours
- slow walking (less than 100 steps per minute) – 1.6 hours
- brisk walking (more than 100 steps per minute) – 1.1 hours
- stand – 3.2 hours
- exercise (i.e. running, cycling) – 16 minutes
They estimated the effect of changing one type of exercise to 5, 10 and 20 minutes of exercise.
They note that a 2mmHg reduction in SBP and a 1mmHg reduction in DPB is equivalent to reducing the risk of heart disease by 10%.
They also estimate that an additional 20 minutes of daily exercise can lead to a meaningful improvement in SBP, and an additional 10 minutes of exercise per day can improve DBP.
Researchers emphasize that daily activities that get the heart pumping can promote healthy blood pressure.
“What’s unique about the flexibility of our workouts is that they include all kinds of exercise-like activities, from stair climbing to short cycling activities, many of which can be combined with daily activities. and the sun. “For those who don’t exercise much, walking still has blood pressure benefits,” Blodgett continued.
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, told Healthline that the study confirms physician-backed recommendations for of daily exercise.
“It’s encouraging to see modest changes in blood pressure with just a few minutes of exercise, something that can be incorporated into even a busy schedule,” Chen said.
“We know that physical activity guides our organs and tissues to undergo changes that improve their performance and efficiency, which can lead to improved blood pressure control. By increasing the strength of exercise, you speed up physical changes that provide cardiovascular health benefits,” he explained.
The findings of this study do not suggest that 5 minutes of exercise a day is enough but instead encourage people who already exercise regularly to increase their productivity, especially those who are stressed high blood pressure.
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For heart health, Chen said he typically recommends 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day most days of the week.
To effectively lower blood pressure, Chen reiterated the findings of this study and recommended aerobic exercise methods, such as:
- to walk
- to run
- riding a bike
- swimming or exercising in water
“It’s also helpful to include some strength training, as this also helps improve blood vessel function and improve blood pressure,” Chen said.
“Patients who do not have blood pressure under control should avoid vigorous exercise such as sprinting or heavy lifting, as these activities can lead to a rise in blood pressure,” he advised.
Chen noted that many people may not realize the health benefits of adding a little exercise to their daily routine.
She said: “There are many easy ways to incorporate physical activity throughout the day. Some examples may include:
- short 5-minute walks at work
- taking the stairs instead of the elevator
- parking far from the store and walking
Chen noted that if you live with high blood pressure, you should talk to your doctor about lifestyle choices that can help you manage it.
Regular exercise aside, other ways to lower blood pressure may include:
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