Thursday, December 16, 2010

Managing Hypertension With Working Out

High blood pressure may be the most common heart related concern that we have. High blood pressure, or otherwise known as hypertension, is dangerous if not controlled as it can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Maintenance medicine and a lifestyle change are ways to keep your blood pressure low. Most doctors recommend a change in lifestyle like changing your diet and getting exercise daily.
Livestrong LS7.0B Exercise Bike
The rise of your blood pressure are affected by a lot of things like the food you eat. Food that are high in sodium or salt are definitely an enemy because this increases the risk of hypertension occurring. It is also a risk to have fatty food so it is best to avoid it. Sodium from food attract water in the blood increases its volume causing the heart to work faster which causes blood pressure to rise. Food that are high in fat can clog the veins blocking the passage of blood making blood pressure increase to allow blood to pass through. Blood pressure can be improved by eating food that are rich in fiber, magnesium and potassium. Fiber helps with flushing out any blockage in our blood vessels while magnesium keeps them healthy. Potassium makes sure of regular muscle function and our heart, since it is a muscle, needs it. A lot of fruits and vegetables can provide that for you like bananas, apples, and spinach.
Blood pressure is also affected by other factors such as stress. Stress makes our body release a burst of adrenaline which causes our heart rate to increase and these hormones can clog blood vessels making blood pressure increase. Have you ever noticed that when you are frustrated, the first thing you feel is that you are out of breath? That's one of the results of the effect of stress to your heart. Another thing that can affect your blood pressure is smoking. Smoking allows the intake of nocotine which causes a reduce the oxygen going to your heart, increase blood clotting and heart rate and damage to blood vessels.

Your heart can grow strong when you workout. A strong heart works easier with keeping your blood pressure normal and maintaining a healthy blood flow. Cardio exercises are thought to be the heart's best friend since it is an exercise that focuses on keeping the heart strong. Running and walking are a few popular cardio exercises. You can do this outdoors or at home with the help of a treadmill. You can improve your cardiovascular system's use of oxygen with other aerobic exercises. Moderate exercises will be enough for lowering your blood pressure. It is ideal for you to do around 30 minutes of workout a day, four times a week. You don't have to do one 30 session in one go. 3 10 minute workouts or 2 15 minute workouts are okay. It depends on what fits your schedule and what you are comfortable with.

If you are not yet hypertensive, you can avoid it by simply cutting down on some of the things you are used to doing and adding a daily workout routine to your schedule. Hypertension can be prevented but is not curable. You know they say, prevention is always better than cure.

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