When your cardiologist diagnoses you with hypertension, also called high blood pressure (HBP), you understandably feel nervous about your health and future. Almost half of women and men in the United States have high blood pressure, which is a primary or contributing factor to more than 600,000 deaths per year.
You want to do what’s right for your heart and your health. But where do you start? Won’t exercise put too much stress on your heart?
Exercise is an essential part of heart and health care. In fact, regular exercise can even lower your blood pressure — without drugs — when done safely.
Dr. Ola Akinboboye, an expert cardiologist in Rosedale, Queens, New York, is a firm believer in the power of lifestyle interventions for heart health. If you have hypertension, he works with you to find the right exercise regimen to not only keep you healthy but also help you get healthier.
So, how can you exercise safely with HBP? Following are our top cardiologist’s top tips.
You can read this blog on your feet, especially if you're on your smartphone. If you have HBP, you probably have a lifestyle that’s too sedentary.
Recent studies show that sitting and being inactive for too long raise your risk of HBP. In fact, each extra hour of sedentary behavior — in both adults and kids — raises the risk for HBP by 2%.
In addition to regular exercise, you must add as much movement into your routine as possible. If you must sit for your job, get up every 30 minutes. Just a brief 5-minute walk every 30 minutes not only reduces your blood pressure but also your blood glucose levels.
If you’ve been sedentary for a while, don’t hit the track right away. You may need to gradually increase the types and amount of activity you do so you don’t get injured or discouraged.
We conduct a thorough physical exam and evaluate your current fitness level. This may include administering a stress test. We then design an exercise routine that matches where you are and takes you where you want to be.
When you were a kid, you probably got more exercise in a day than you do now in a week… except you called it “play.” So, take a playful attitude toward movement, and you may find that exercise is a joy, not a drag. Mix it up so that you don’t get bored:
The point is to start somewhere — anywhere. Standing up and moving around allows your blood to flow more freely, reducing strain on your heart.
We help you achieve the American Heart Association’s (AHA) guidelines for exercise, which should — over time — help you lose excess weight and could also normalize your blood pressure to 120/80 mm Hg or less.
Exercising and moving regularly makes your heart stronger. It also increases the health and efficiency of your blood vessels. Ideally, according to the AHA, you should get:
You don’t have to slog it out for an hour at a time, either. Short exercise “snacks” are easier to fit into your schedule and work just as well (some would say better) as prolonged workouts.
So what does 150 minutes a week break down to per day? It’s only about 20 minutes per day, so try 10 minutes of dancing and 12-15 minutes of fast walking to start.
The AHA also recommends strength training with weights or resistance bands at least two days per week. Ten to 20 minutes of strength training is enough to keep your muscles strong without straining your tendons and ligaments.
Once Dr. Akinboboye prescribes your routine, you can follow it safely. He will increase the intensity and duration as he sees your fitness level improve.
However, be sure to warm up gradually and cool down as well. Check your heart rate periodically. Stop immediately and call 911 if you:
Start building your heart strength and lower your blood pressure with a customized exercise routine today. Phone our team at 718-208-4816 or fill out our online outreach form for an evaluation or stress test today.
