Blood pressure exercise

Whether it's poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress or just some sort of genetic hiccup, the average American's blood pressure is shooting higher and higher as the decades pass. There are, of course, many reasons. Certain ethnic groups are more prone to high blood pressure than others, for one, and the United States boasts sizeable communities of almost every ethnic group on the planet.

Poor diet is another. Americans eat tons of processed food, which has long-term side effects that are anything but beneficial. And of course stress is a big one. We work more and have less downtime than our parents did. Where Americans used to be able to survive largely on one income, those days are gone and now most families are dual-income families.

But the number one reason blood pressure has become such an issue for Americans is because of our lack of exercise. To lower blood pressure exercise has been proven time and again to be the best method, and yes, I know ninety percent of us don't like to sweat, but as the saying goes, no pain, no gain.

So which blood pressure exercise would be most beneficial to you? Well, consider this blurb from the Mayo Clinic, one of the best regarded medical facilities in the world:

How are high blood pressure and exercise connected? Regular physical activity makes your heart stronger. A stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. If your heart can work less to pump, the force on your arteries decreases, lowering your blood pressure.

"Regular physical activity" doesn't mean you have to work out like an Olympic champion. We all remember Michael Phelps, the 8-times gold medalist in the Beijing 2008 summer games and the exercise regimen he underwent. Obviously, you don't need to do that.

What you do need to do is get your heart rate up four times a week for twenty-to-thirty minutes. That's the best way to start. Whether it's swimming, biking, running, or good, old-fashioned '80s-style Richard Simmons aerobics, you've gotta get your ticker pumping. This blood pressure exercise will strengthen your heart, as the Mayo Clinic blub says, and putting less burden there will make you healthier overall.

There's also a secondary benefit to blood pressure exercise, in that in a larger majority of people, exercise has proven to be a good stress reliever. Therefore it's a two-for one deal, in that you're eliminating two causes of high blood pressure. A third benefit is that regular exercise means you'll lose weight, yet another cause of high blood pressure.

So get your ticker working. Do some jumping jacks, go for a jog. Anything to strengthen your heart will be a good blood pressure exercise.