High blood pressure: Full list of exercises you should be doing if you have the condition

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Safe exercises keep the heart and blood vessels in good shape, strengthen bones and improves balance. Moreover, it gives you more energy and can lift your mood. However, not all workouts are created equal.

Even if you have high blood pressure, the charity Blood Pressure UK ascertain that increased activity is a good thing for your health.

Physical activity will cause your blood pressure to rise for a short time, but once the activity is stopped, it should quickly return to normal.

For those with a relatively high reading – 140/90mmHg or above – you’re advised to speak to your GP before starting a new exercise regime.

It may be that medical professionals will prescribe medication before you start exercising.

People with high blood pressure are better off avoiding activities that put too much strain on your heart.

This includes weightlifting and sprinting, or extreme sports such as scuba diving or parachuting.

In order to do scuba diving or skydiving, you’ll need a medical certificate from your doctor.

Even playing squash isn’t recommend if you have high blood pressure, so it’s better off avoided.

However, there’s still plenty of activities you can choose from to get into shape and help to lower your blood pressure reading.

Aerobic exercises are helpful in that they get your heart, lungs, blood vessels and muscles working.

Repetitive and rhythmic movements tone your legs, shoulders and arms – and they’re good for your health.

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Beneficial activities include cycling, brisk walking, swimming, dancing, gardening, tennis and jogging.

Blood Pressure UK testify that everybody needs to be moderately active for 30 minutes every day, five times a week.

In order for your activity levels to count, it needs to make you feel warmer and breath just that little bit harder.

However, there’s no reason to overextend or injure yourself – make sure you’re still able to talk without panting between words.

In order to become more active in your day-to-day routine, it helps to start small.

In the beginning, Blood Pressure UK advise splitting your daily 30-minute exercise slot into three 10-minute sessions.

Over the next few weeks, if practised daily, your strength will increase so that you’ll be able to complete 30-minute chunks.

If you find training boring, then try to get another member of your household involved; this can make it more fun.

Are household members refusing to participate? Don’t lose your mojo, seek online classes with people who are motivated to achieve great results.

It’ll also help to find an activity that you enjoy to encourage you to keep on going.

Focus on setting goals to enhance motivation levels, such as completing a 3.1 mile jog (this can be done with the Couch to 5K app).

If you have a smartphone or pedometer, you can aim for 10,000 steps every day.

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