Lower Your Blood Pressure by Exercising for 5 Minutes a Day: Study

• Research suggests that going for a brisk run or bike ride instead of sitting all day can lower blood pressure.
• A few minutes of vigorous exercise each day can help ward off disease and extend life.
• Light exercise routines such as walking and tai chi can also reduce stress and lower blood pressure.

Going for a brisk run or bike ride instead of sitting for a few minutes each day may lower blood pressure and help protect against heart disease, according to a new study.

Researchers from University College London and the University of Sydney analyzed activity tracking data from previous studies involving 14,761 volunteers from the UK, Australia, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands.

On average, survey participants spent Sitting or being sedentary for 10 hours a day and I do exercises like cycling for about 16 minutes a day.

Using their model to predict how different activities affect blood pressure, they concluded that small changes can go a long way.

They found that replacing five minutes of sedentary time a day with physical activity, such as cycling or climbing stairs, led to a decrease in blood pressure.

Adding more activity helped lower blood pressure even further: Exercising for 10 to 20 minutes a day lowered blood pressure enough to reduce the risk of heart disease by about 10%, researchers estimated.

The findings, published Nov. 6 in the journal American Heart Association Circulationsuggests that high-intensity short-duration exercises may be most effective in lowering blood pressure.

“For those who don’t do a lot of exercise, walking has some positive benefits for blood pressure,” Jo Blodgett, the study’s first author and a research fellow at University College London, said in a press release. “But if you want to change your blood pressure, pushing the cardiovascular system harder through exercise will have the greatest effect.”

A few minutes of high-intensity exercise can help you live longer

It’s not such news increasing your heart rate Your health can pay dividends. Previous research shows quick exercises It can improve overall fitness and help prevent premature death.

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The latest study helps us better understand how exercise can be used most effectively to help people reduce their risk of serious health problems and what a meaningful daily dose might look like.

high blood pressure or hypertensionIt is an important risk factor for heart attack and stroke. It affects nearly a third of Americans, and many of them don’t realize they have it.

If you’re short on time, a brisk run or bike ride with a higher heart rate may give you the most bang for your buck in terms of health benefits.

“The finding that doing as little as five extra minutes of exercise or intense incidental activity per day can be associated with measurably lower blood pressure measurements highlights how powerful high-intensity short-term movements can be for blood pressure management,” said Emmanuel Stamatakis, associate senior. study author and professor at the University of Sydney said in a press release.

The researchers also noted that the growing popularity of wearable devices could be a great resource for people. Use data like heart rate to exercise more effectively.

Walking and tai chi may also protect your heart health

While short, intense workouts can be effective, there’s still good reason to make time for lighter exercises in your routine.

If you’re not ready to go for a run, walking can help prevent heart disease and provide an extra benefit. 500 to 1000 steps per day may reduce your risk.

tai chi It has been found to lower blood pressure as effectively as cardio. The evidence shows that: slow, meditative movement It is beneficial in part because it helps reduce stress, another factor in maintaining healthy blood pressure.

Whichever exercise you choose, A few extra minutes of exercise in your daily routine It can provide great benefits over time.