High blood pressure is an insidious disease. It puts extra strain on your veins and organs, increasing your risk of many serious health problems, such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. However, it cannot be said that he has any symptoms. The only way to know if your blood pressure is high is to have it measured.
If you are over 40, you should have it checked every five years. It’s also important to know the factors that increase the risk of high blood pressure:
- be over 65
- be overweight
- having a high blood pressure patient in your family
- eating too salty, not consuming enough vegetables and fruits
- doing very little exercise
- consuming too much alcohol or caffeine
- to smoke
- not getting enough sleep or not sleeping well
If any of these apply to you, it may be helpful to have your blood pressure measured, even if you are younger than 40. You can do this at your doctor’s office, at the pharmacy, or even at home by purchasing a blood pressure monitor.
If your blood pressure is high, there are many things you can do to try to lower it. If your blood pressure is good, doing these can help keep your blood pressure that way.
Exercises that can be done in later ages and that can help you maintain your health are as follows:
Balance Exercises: It has been observed that it reduces falls by 50% in the elderly. Exercises of standing on one foot for 30-60 seconds, in an upright position, with the arms at the sides, the heels together, and walking on a straight line are beneficial.
Stretching Exercises: Increasing the flexibility of the joints, protecting from falls and muscle injuries. It is applied for neck, back, shoulder and waist muscles. It can be done standing, sitting or lying down. You should start the exercise in a comfortable position, slowly reach the end of the movement, wait 20-30 seconds, and slowly return to the starting position.
Warm-up and Cool-down Exercises: The part that warms up the body before working out is the warm-up part. It provides protection from injuries. The cooling down section aims to return the heart rate and respiration to normal after the workout. 5-10 minutes for warm-up and cool-down. It is appropriate to walk at low speed or cycle without resistance for a period of time.
Aerobic Exercises: Provides positive effects on both the cardio-circulatory-respiratory system and the musculoskeletal system. Walking, jogging, swimming and cycling are recommended for the elderly. However, compelling aerobic exercises such as jumping rope and high tempo running are not recommended. The important thing for aerobic exercises is to reach the target heart rate. If there is difficulty in speaking during the exercise, the intensity of the exercise is too much. In such a case, the tempo must be reduced.
Strengthening Exercises: Strength training is recommended even at very advanced ages, and studies have shown that they increase strength and endurance and improve balance. Especially for large muscle groups (arms, shoulders, abdomen, back) 2-3 days a week, 8-15 repetitions, 1-3 sets and 20-30 minutes in total provide great benefits for the elderly. These exercises are; It can be done using free weights, balls, tires, or combined tools. The maximum weight that can be lifted in one repetition is a decisive measure in strengthening exercises. After this value is determined, it can be started to work with 30-40% of it. If there is no restrictive situation, it can be increased to 75-80%. It should be kept in mind that doing the movements quickly does not provide any gain, on the contrary, it increases the risk of injury.
Maintain your ideal weight
Obesity is an important risk factor for hypertension. Check if you are at the appropriate weight for your height by calculating your Body Mass Index. If you are obese, lose weight until you reach the appropriate weight. If you are at the appropriate weight for your height, maintain this weight.
A Body Mass Index (BMI) = Body Weight (kg) / Height (m) of 25 and above is an indication that you are overweight.
do regular physical activity
Choose an active lifestyle. 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity 5 days a week is an indicator of regular physical activity. Regular physical activity reduces the negative effects of age and chronic diseases, regulates blood pressure, reduces the risk of cardiac arrhythmia / sudden death.
Do not smoke
Cigarette and cigarette smoke is an important risk factor that causes chronic bronchitis, stroke and coronary heart diseases, especially cancer, due to the more than 4000 chemicals it contains in addition to tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine. Do not smoke for your health, if you do, try to quit.
Pay attention to your diet
- In order to balance your body weight and not gain weight, prefer foods with low sugar, consume refined sugars such as tea sugar as little as possible, limit the consumption of sweets and sugary drinks.
- Limit salt and sodium intake. Sodium intake should be between 1.5 – 2.5 g (4-6 g salt). Also, consume low-fat or low-fat milk and dairy products (yogurt, cheese, etc.) that are low in salt.
- Pay attention to the type of oil you use and choose vegetable oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids (olive oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, etc.).
- Increase pulp consumption. Eat 4-6 servings (400-500 g) of a variety of fresh vegetables and fruits each day per week. Dry beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc. Pay attention to the consumption of dried legumes.
- Reduce alcohol consumption. Alcohol intake causes blood pressure to rise.
Avoid stress as much as possible.
Have regular health checkups.
improve your sleep
Finally, through our graphic we prepared for you.
Check out these tips to follow to sleep better.
But remember, if you’re worried about your blood pressure, you should always consult your doctor before making any major lifestyle changes!
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