5 Sports Activities For High Blood Pressure Patients

Physical activity helps to regulate blood pressure, improve fitness and reduce the risk of various diseases.

High blood pressure patients  should definitely pay attention to a healthy lifestyle. This also includes regular exercise as it helps lower blood pressure as well as reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and general well-being.

It is best to seek advice from your doctor before starting the exercise program, who can give you various recommendations and strategies that are specifically tailored to your situation. If your doctor agrees, you can do the following exercise regularly to help you achieve your goal. 

Interesting facts about high blood pressure

Constantly high blood pressure values ​​are also known as hypertension. This happens when the blood exerts excessive pressure on the vessel wall from within. There are two different blood pressure values: the systolic blood pressure  arises when the heart contracts, the  diastolic pressure  when the heart muscle expands.

Benefits of Exercise for Hypertensive Patients

Exercise increases blood pressure in the short term, but this has no negative consequences,  on the contrary: exercise is essential for high blood pressure patients.

According to various studies, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Society for Arterial Hypertension have recommended exercises for the non-pharmacological prevention of arterial hypertension since 1989. The results are very positive, so this recommendation continues to apply.

The experts at the Spanish Heart Foundation affirm that exercise is ideal for treating and preventing high blood pressure. Because it lowers blood pressure, improves the physical condition and at the same time reduces the risk of suffering from various health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases.

The Spanish Society for High Blood Pressure published a study that identified the reasons why regular exercise is beneficial for the high blood pressure patients:

• This not only improves your physical condition, but also your mental health.
• The patient feels better and has more energy.
• It also makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight and prevent problems such as overweight, obesity, high cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

How and which sporting activities are recommended?

It is crucial to practice moderate but constant exercises under the supervision of an expert. People with high blood pressure who do not have  heart failure can do slightly more strenuous activities such as jogging at a good pace for 20 to 25 minutes 3 to 4 days a week. 

For people with high blood pressure,  exercises that train multiple muscle groups in a rhythmic and aerobic manner are particularly helpful. For example, fast running, hiking, dancing, swimming or cycling are suitable.

Exercises for high blood pressure patients

1. Cycling

You can improve your resistance by cycling regularly. Initially, the blood pressure rises, but in the long term you can reduce it. Therefore  , this sport is ideal for people with high blood pressure.

You also strengthen your cardiovascular system, improve your metabolism and strengthen the immune system. But that’s not all:  You train the leg muscles and the back muscles at the same time,  which prevents the joints from being overloaded.

2. Dancing

Dancing is not only fun, it is also very beneficial for high blood pressure patients, both on a physical and mental level. Because this improves cardiovascular health and also the cholesterol level. You can also reduce stress while dancing, which has a very positive effect on blood pressure.

A study carried out by experts from the Unidad de HTA y Riesgo Cardiovascular (Barcelona) shows that psychological factors such as stress or anxiety have a negative effect on blood pressure. Therefore, it is recommended that high blood pressure patients also maintain their mental health.

3. Hiking

Hiking is generally very beneficial to health. You can get rid of stress and tension, both on a physical and physical level. At the same time you break down calories, improve muscle tone and strengthen bone mass. In addition, hiking improves well-being in many ways.

4. Running

Running for 30 to 60 minutes a day has a very positive effect on your blood pressure. Experts from the Spanish Heart Foundation recommend running three to five times a week.

5. Swimming

The Spanish Heart Foundation also recommends swimming for high blood pressure patients. It is a very complete sport that not only improves physical condition, but also relieves stress and anxiety. However, the aforementioned heart foundation also points out that caution is required:

Daily exercise is very important for high blood pressure patients

As you can see,  daily exercise is very beneficial for people with high blood pressure. In addition, of course, other healthy lifestyle habits are also important. Don’t forget to always listen to your doctor’s recommendations to prevent secondary symptoms.

Start exercising today. Choose a type of exercise that you enjoy so that you can actually practice it regularly and benefit from all the advantages. You can also alternate with different disciplines so that you don’t get bored.