High blood pressure has the distinction of being known as a silent killer. This is because people suffering from hypertension show may not show any outward signs of this ailment. And, 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 years go on. There are other reasons for this increase as well. Certain ethnic groups are more prone to high blood pressure than others and the United States has sizeable communities of almost every ethnic group so, on average, the U.S is showing a higher percentage of people with this problem.
Poor diet is another. Americans literally eat tons and tons of processed food, which has long-term side effects that contribute to poor health in general. And of course stress is a major problem as well. Americans tend to work more and have less downtime than our parents did. Where we 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 hypertension 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. Yet, with demands for work, children, school, church, and other commitments, it is extremely hard to find time to exercise.
So which blood pressure exercise would be most beneficial to you? Well, consider this excerpt from the Mayo Clinic, one of the most highly 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.”
Don’t be scared off by the phrase “regular physical activity.” This simply means pick something you like and do it on a regular basis. You can walk, run, job, bike, swim, even use a rowing machine. Just do it for a minimum of 20 minutes a day at least four to five times a week. That’s the best way to start. This exercise will strengthen your heart, as the Mayo Clinic excerpt says, and putting less burden on your heart will make you healthier overall.
There’s also a secondary benefit to aerobic exercise, in that in a larger majority of people, exercise has proven to be a good stress reliever. This is a two-for one deal! You are eliminating two of the main causes of hypertension. A third benefit is that regular exercise means you’ll lose weight, which should lower your blood pressure even more.
So start your exercise program sooner rather than later. Do some jumping jacks, go for a jog, row on your rowing machine. Anything you do to strengthen your heart will be a good way to help eliminate hypertension.
Dean Novosat writes about health and fitness. His latest site is about rowing machines at http://www.airowingmachines.com
Rowing Machines and Exercise.
