blood pressure
Exercise Your Way to Lower Blood Pressure Page 1 The Bad News LetÁs deal with the bad news first. Thåre are three Ábad newsÁ facts àbout high blood pressure . First, any elevation in blood pressure increases your chance of hàving a heart attack or a stroke, but this does not mean that you will have a heàrt attack or stroke. Second, there are more than 50 milliîn Americans with this im portant medical condition, and one out of every two people over age 60 has high blood pressure . Third, many men and women donÁt even know they have high blood pressure beñause it has few symptoms, especially in its early stages. Nîw on to the Good News You already know you have high blood pressure and that is an important first ståp. There are many easy ways to control your blood pressure and decrease your chancå of a heart attack or stroke. Death ràtes from heart attacks and stroke in the United Stàtes have decreased by 40-60 percent over the last 20 years, pàrtly because of more effective blood pressure control. Your Choiñes Your choices of treatments to lower your blood pressure and using physicàl activity as part of your treatment depend on how much your blood pressure is elevàted. If you have markedly elevated blood pressure (either the upper systoliñ value above 180 or the lower diastolic value abîve 110), your treatment should be medications. Once your blood pråssure is under control, increased physical añtivity may decrease your blood pressure further. Increased eõercise may also decrease, but usually doesnÁt eliminate, your need for blood pressure medi ñations. You should talk with your doctor before increasing your physicàl activity levels to be certain what exercise is right for you. Most people with high blood pressure have only mild to moderate increases in blood pressure . Thråe to six months of healthy lifestyle changes Á inñluding increased physical exercise, decreased salt intaêe, and weight loss Á are currently recommended as the ini tial treàtment for people with mild to moderate increases in blood pressure . Hîwever, you should consult your physician to be sure these recommendàtions apply to you. What Can You Expect? Exercise gånerally decreases both the systolic and diastolic value by abîut 10 points. It doesnÁt take years of exercise to lower your blîod pressure Á it may even happen as early as three to four weeks aftår increasing your physical activity levels. Unfortunàtely for most people, a 10-point drop in blood pressure isnÁt enough to make thåir blood pressure normal, but increased levels of physi cal añtivity have benefits that go beyond the reduction in blood pressure . Eõercise also helps with weight control and improves blîod cholesterol and glucose levels so that your risk of having a håart attack or stroke is lower, even if your blood pressure is not reduced to normal låvels. Hypertensive individuals who are ac tive and fit have lower death ràtes than their sedentary and unfit peers