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A new study examining more than 31 studies suggests that a combination of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and HIIT can lower blood pressure, and that the combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training is particularly effective.<\/p>\n
Aerobic exercise includes brisk walking, jogging, rowing, cycling, swimming, and elliptical training.<\/p>\n
Experts emphasize creating a workout routine you can stick to, aiming for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five times a week and strength training twice a week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\nThere’s no shortage of options when it comes to the types of workout routines you can choose from. But if you’re wondering about the type of exercise that’s right for you, consider the following: A new study has identified two different types of exercise that can significantly lower blood pressure over time.<\/p>\n
This news is important because high blood pressure is associated with many serious health complications, including heart attacks and strokes, so it’s important to do everything you can to lower your blood pressure. Not only that, but high blood pressure usually doesn’t cause any symptoms, so it’s hard to know if you’re dealing with this health problem silently.<\/p>\n
All forms of exercise help heart health and blood pressure to some degree. But if you want to get the best bang for your buck, this latest research suggests there are certain types worth considering more seriously. Here’s why:<\/p>\n\n\nmeet an expert<\/strong>: Cheng-Han Chen, MD, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California. Jessica Hennessy, MD, cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian\/Columbia University Irving Medical Center.<\/p>\nWhat did the research find?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis study British Journal of Sports Medicine<\/em>reviewed and analyzed data from 31 randomized controlled trials involving more than 1,345 participants and 67 intervention arms.<\/p>\nResearchers found that a combination of aerobic exercise, resistance training, and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) lowered blood pressure over a 24-hour period. Aerobic exercise was also associated with the most consistent reduction in ambulatory blood pressure. This is a continuous blood pressure reading over a 24-hour period.<\/p>\n
When researchers looked at the effects of different forms of exercise on blood pressure compared to people who did not exercise, they found that combining aerobic and strength training reduced systolic blood pressure by an average of 6.18 mmHg over 24 hours. (Systolic blood pressure is the highest number in a blood pressure reading and indicates the maximum pressure of blood pushing against artery walls when the heart beats.) Aerobic exercise alone led to a 4.73 mmHg drop, while HIIT led to a 5.71 mmHg drop.<\/p>\n
Diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number on a blood pressure reading, which measures the pressure the blood exerts on the artery walls while the heart rests between beats) also fell. Over 24 hours, compound training resulted in a decrease of 3.94 mmHg, aerobic exercise decreased 2.76 mmHg, and HIIT decreased 4.64 mmHg. Also worth noting is that Pilates, a much lower-intensity exercise, also lowered diastolic blood pressure by 4.18 mmHg over 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Why are these exercises so effective at lowering blood pressure?<\/strong><\/h2>\nIt is important to first point out several caveats from this study. Although the researchers included trials with small numbers of participants, there was not much information about how long participants continued their workout routines. The types of exercise people performed may also be categorized differently depending on the study, making it difficult to analyze them all. Still, doctors say there’s likely something here.<\/p>\n
There’s still a lot to explore, but these forms of exercise tend to be a little more difficult, says Chen Han Chen, MD, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the structural heart program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California. “Intensity of exercise can help lower blood pressure,” he says. “Elevating your heart rate through moderate-intensity exercise trains your heart to be more efficient and often trains it to lower your blood pressure.”<\/p>\n
Jessica Hennessy, MD, MD, a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian\/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, says aerobic exercise can help widen blood vessels and reduce their stiffness. These two factors lower blood pressure. “Additionally, it’s been shown to lower your resting sympathetic tone (fight or flight), which helps your body know to increase your sympathetic tone during exercise and decrease it while you’re at rest.” This will ultimately lower your resting blood pressure as well, she says.<\/p>\n
Dr. Hennessy says resistance training helps lower blood pressure by widening blood vessels in the muscles you’re using and narrowing blood vessels in areas you don’t need at the time. And because HIIT has a short recovery period, it teaches your nervous system and blood vessels to recover faster, she added.<\/p>\n