Aking yourself, Is Walking Good for High Blood Pressure. Discover the incredible benefits of walking for high blood pressure. Learn how this simple activity can help lower blood pressure and improve overall health.Walking provides a range of benefits. Besides being a low-impact way to exercise, walking is beneficial for stress reduction and aerobic health — two critical factors for healthy blood pressure ranges.
In short, walking may just be the best exercise to control blood pressure. Read on to learn more about how walking helps blood pressure reduction.
Walking Helps Hypertension Reduction by Strengthening the Heart
Walking is a low-impact way to strengthen the muscles of the heart. A stronger heart is critical to blood pressure control since stronger heart muscles require less force to pump blood.
Because of less force production, the pressure in the arteries decreases. This shows up on the sphygmomanometer as a decreased systolic pressure — the top-end value of your blood pressure reading.
The Best Exercise To Control High Blood Pressure — and Stress
Stress causes the body to be in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. This creates an environment where the heart pumps faster and the blood vessels constrict. This is why during periods of stress, you’ll experience a spike in your blood pressure.
To eliminate stress and the blood pressure spike that goes with it, you can go for a walk. Walking is beneficial for stress reduction, as shown by a 2018 comparative study.
How Does Walking Affect Blood Pressure?
Walking reduces blood pressure through multiple mechanisms. It improves cardiovascular fitness, increasing heart efficiency and promoting better blood flow. With better blood flow comes reduced resistance along the blood vessels. This shows up as lower blood pressure readings.
How Long You Should Walk for Maximum Results
As mentioned earlier, just 10 minutes of walking can be sufficient for lowering your blood pressure. However, here are two additional science-backed pointers.
First, it’s important to ramp up. If 10 minutes of walking has become too easy, you should work towards increasing your mileage to the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 150 minutes per week.
Second, you should stick to walking for about six months. One 2018 study discovered that six months of walking elicited better blood pressure control compared to a group that had inconsistent bouts of activity.
In short, start with 10 minutes a day every day and build up to walking for about 30 minutes daily. Lastly, continue to do this for at least six months to see results.
High Blood Pressure? Walk It Off!
Walking is an accessible and effective way to manage high blood pressure. By starting with just 10 minutes and day and being consistent, you’ll walk your way to lower blood pressure. if unable to control blood pressure with just simple walking, seek the help of a primary care doctor near you.
