Best Stretches to Lower Hypertension
Staying active in your day-to-day life is crucial when suffering from high blood pressure. Over time, exercise will help to decrease your blood pressure — minimising the risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the American College of Cardiology, anybody with high blood pressure (hypertension) should try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or aerobic activity a week. This equates to 30 minutes of movement 5 days a week. The majority of people struggle to keep up with the recommended amount and can find themselves living a sedentary lifestyle. However, it’s important for anyone (especially someone with high blood pressure) to remember the value of exercise and try to incorporate it within their daily routine.
In this article, you’ll find stretches that can help increase your activity level, while on a busy schedule. The stretches can be done while sitting down, working from home or in the office. Ideally, you would want to take a 5-10 minute break every hour to stretch or walk around, but you could start by doing this occasionally at your desk or during your lunch break.
These stretches can be performed for up to 5 minutes (one after the other) and shouldn’t be held for longer than 30 seconds at a time. Remember to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth throughout the stretches, relaxing your body while you do so.
Please note: If your blood pressure is relatively high, your doctor or nurse may prefer to lower it with medicines before you start exercising. If it’s very high, avoid any new activity without talking to your doctor first.
Exercise Sets
Quick Links
Stretches
Seated Cat-Cow Stretch
- Sit up straight in your chair with your legs spread hip-width apart, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
- Place your hands on your knees.
- Inhale and slowly arch your back, while rolling your shoulders back and down.
- As you exhale, slowly reverse the position. Rounding your spine, allowing your head to drop and your chin to move towards your chest.
Seated Crescent Moon Pose
- Take a seat, straighten your back with your legs spread hip-width apart and your feet flat on the floor.
- Lift your arms straight up to the sky, keeping your elbows out.
- Then place your palms together to form a diamond.
- Lean to the left. Holding for 3 breaths.
- Then switch and lean to the right for 3 breaths.
Chair Pigeon Pose
- Sit up straight in your chair with your legs hip-width apart.
- Place your right leg over your left at a 90-degree angle.
- Flex your right foot to remove any unnecessary pressure on the left knee.
- Remain sitting straight.
- Use your hands to slightly flatten your right leg, until you feel a moderate stretch in the upper outer thigh.
Wrist and Finger Stretch
- Extend your arms to your sides.
- Draw 5-10 circles inwards and then outwards through the wrists.
- Then, quickly spread your fingers out and close them into a fist 5-10 times.
- Shake your hands to relieve any excess tension.
- Then, keeping your arms straight in front of you, make sure your wrist is facing the sky and your fingers are towards the floor.
- Using your right hand, softly pull your fingers back towards you, whilst keeping your left arm straight.
In addition to these stretches, you could do low impact cardiovascular exercises to help regulate your high blood pressure further. Some examples of cardiovascular exercises include, walking, cycling, the elliptical machine, swimming, yoga and aqua aerobics.
Goals and targets can help you stay motivated, making sure you stay consistently active. Your goal could be reaching 10,000 steps a day, burning 200 calories on a cardio machine every day, or cycling a certain distance. The consistent movement will help strengthen your heart, lose weight (if needed) and help you to live a healthier lifestyle.
High blood pressure, if left untreated, can lead to strokes, heart attacks or heart disease. This makes it essential to monitor your blood pressure regularly and make lifestyle changes if it’s at the higher end. Staying active is just one way to improve your heart’s health. You can start small doing stretches from your desk (like the ones above), building up more and more until you reach the 150 minute weekly recommendation.
Fitness Expert & Nutritionist
Major UK gym chain
About me
Qualified personal trainer and nutritionist passionate about supporting people in their journey to better heart health.
Following university level education they joined a major UK chain of gyms where they have gained extensive experience in both exercise and nutrition.
