Why this popular exercise can lower blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

health

by Adriana Diaz

Doing Tai Chi every day will lower your blood pressure.

Chinese martial arts may help lower blood pressure and improve heart health better than intense aerobic exercise, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.

Tai Chi is a gentle exercise and moving meditation consisting of a series of very slow and controlled movements.

The mental and physical health benefits of this practice have long been understood by generations of people seeking a simple, smooth workout, but this study provides another important reason to start this practice. I have confirmed.

Experts suggest that the calming effects of mobile meditation are likely the reason low-intensity exercise was shown to be more effective in lowering blood pressure than high-intensity exercise. .

A team of doctors and researchers from the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine analyzed data from more than 300 people aged 18 to 65 at risk for high blood pressure (known as prehypertension) across Beijing.

All participants were advised to follow an annual exercise program of 1 hour each day, 4 days a week. Half of the participants were asked to do tai chi, and the other half were asked to do aerobic exercise such as jogging or cycling.

The study found that people who did a physically active Tai Chi routine had lower blood pressure and were significantly more likely to report healthy blood pressure than those who broke a sweat with aerobic exercise. did.

Those who practiced tai chi were also more likely to avoid developing high blood pressure.

And it took less than a year. The study found that participants who practiced tai chi saw further improvements in blood pressure within the first six months.

This is not the first study to recommend that adults with high blood pressure may not need to do the most strenuous exercise to lower their blood pressure.

A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine last October found that isometric exercise may lower blood pressure more effectively than other types of exercise.

Isometric exercise is a low-impact workout designed to increase strength and endurance by tightening and contracting muscles while remaining stationary in one position for short periods of time.

This means that staying in the same position, specifically wall sitting, is more effective at lowering blood pressure than running, cycling, or other aerobic exercises.

The analysis found that doing about eight minutes of isometric exercise three times a week can lead to a healthy reduction in blood pressure.

You also don't have to try anything too scary. You can start by just sitting in your seat, but that's intangible.

Wall sitting, or simply sitting facing a wall, has been found to be the most effective exercise for lowering blood pressure.

Research shows that regularly performing an isometric wall-sit routine of holding for 2 minutes, resting for 2 minutes, and repeating 4 times lowers systolic blood pressure by 10 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and lowers diastolic blood pressure. It is said that the blood pressure decreased by 5mmHg.

But that doesn't mean aerobic exercise isn't effective.

In general, aerobic exercise (exercise that increases breathing and heart rate) has been shown to improve blood pressure and heart health.

Blood pressure typically rises and falls throughout the day, but consistently high blood pressure can damage your heart and lead to serious complications.

Nearly half of adults have high blood pressure, putting them at risk for heart disease and stroke, the leading cause of death in the United States.