Our simple guide to improving your blood pressure levels, including an eight-minute workout that packs a punch
WORDS: KAREN EVENNETT PICTURES: SHUTTERSTOCK
Ignorance Is Not Bliss!
It’s the silent killer notorious for creeping up on us. Unless you go to the trouble of having your blood pressure checked, it’s unlikely you’ll know if you have a problem. If your blood pressure is too high, it will be putting extra strain on your heart and blood vessels as they pump blood around your body, risking heart attack or stroke. So get yourself to the well woman clinic or pharmacy and have it checked!
What’s Normal, What’s Not?
Your blood pressure should ideally be between 90/60 and 120/80. If it’s above 120/80, you’re at risk of going on to develop high blood pressure (hypertension). At 140/90 or above, action is needed – it’s a risk factor for dementia and Age-Related Macular Degeneration as well as heart disease. “It’s also the single biggest preventable cause of death in the UK,” warns Pauline Swift from Blood Pressure UK.
Walk This Way . . .
An inactive lifestyle can raise your blood pressure, but making an effort to be more active will help to keep it in a healthy range – so try to take 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week. “Whether that’s walking, swimming, cycling or dancing, it should make you breathe harder and feel warmer – but you should still be able to talk without panting between words,” Pauline explains.
Stay Safe!
If you have very high or very low blood pressure, get medical advice before throwing yourself into a new exercise regime (see bloodpressureuk.org for information). The newest research has found that just eight minutes of isometric exercises – such as planks, wall-sits and squats – three times a week are more effective at lowering blood pressure than more dynamic workouts.
Be More Salt Savvy
While we should eat no more than 6g of salt daily, most of us consume around 8g. This raises blood pressure by causing water retention, which stresses blood vessel walls. Limit your intake of processed foods, check labels, and season with herbs and spices. “Reducing salt to below 3g a day can cut systolic pressure by 10-12mm,” says Pauline.
Hold That Pose
Isometric exercises involve engaging your muscles in a stationary position. As
