We know aerobic exercise can lower blood pressure. But most studies demonstrating this effect have looked at healthy adults, rather than the overweight hypertensive adults who are at greater risk of heart disease.
A recent study at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., found that aerobic exercise such as biking, walking, and jogging for 3-4 hours per week at a moderate to vigorous pace, can not only help overweight hypertensive adults lower their blood pressure, but also improve their overall cardiovascular response to mental stress, another risk factor for heart disease.
Other benefits of regular aerobic exercise were lost weight, improved cardiovascular fitness, lowered heart rate, more dilated blood vessels and more efficient pumping of the heart.
What to do: Bike, walk, or jog for 30 minutes daily, making sure to elevate your heart rate. Calculate your target heart rate range by taking 220 minus your age in years to get your maximum heart rate. Then, multiply that number by 0.65 and 0.85 each, to get the lower and higher ends of your target heart rate range.
Here's an example for a 50 year old:
220-50 = 170 beats per minute (maximum heart rate)
170 x 0.65 = 111 beats per minute (lower end of the target heart rate range)
170 x 0.85 = 145 beats per minute (higher end of the target heart rate range)
If you are just starting an exercise program, aim for the lower end of the range, and if you have been exercising for a while, aim for the higher end of the range.
To check your heart rate during exercise, place your forefinger and middle finger 2 inches behind the underside of your wrist and count the number of beats in 10 seconds. Multiply by 6 to get your heart rate.
Source: Hypertension, August 2000; 36, 2, 171-176; acefitness.org
1 comment:
Thanks for the information.
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