Easy exercise helps reduce pressure. Provided you do it every day for a few weeks …
Eugenio Spagnuolo
– Milano
Having a strong handshake can often make a good first impression. But what (perhaps) not everyone knows is that a firm grip can also improve health, especially for those suffering from high blood pressure. And an easy exercise is enough to achieve this …
Exercise That Lowers Blood Pressure: The Study
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Hypertension is a widespread condition (only in Italy 1 in 3 adults suffer from it) and can be the precursor of serious and potentially dangerous diseases such as heart attacks or strokes. Although typical treatment relies on drugs such as beta blockers and dietary modifications, some scientists have found that too increasing hand strength has a positive effect on blood pressure, almost as much as that of drugs.
In a study published in the scientific journal Nature, a group of Brazilian researchers examined the impact of physical activity on blood pressure. For their analyzes, they drew on previous studies of which physical activity was better at lowering blood pressure than others. The discovery? Overall, strength training was the most effective, resulting in a significant reduction in blood pressure in 28 study groups. But, on further study, the scientists realized that there was no need to do long sessions in the gym to achieve the goal: even exercising a few minutes a day to strengthen the grip of the hand muscles results in a decrease in blood pressurein just 20 weeks (about 5 months).
Another study by McMaster University Ontario (Canada), in which participants performed 10 grip exercises times a week for 8 weeks. Again, the researchers found that training the hand muscles with specific exercises significantly improved resting systolic pressure. And they also noticed that after the exercises, the carotid artery became more flexible and less rigid.
Exercise to lower blood pressure: how to do it
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The exercise that scientists believe helps lower blood pressure is not difficult: it consists of hold a spring loaded knob in one hand (also known as handgrip) for 2 minutes. Then, after a pause of about 2 minutes, you switch to the other hand and vice versa, doing 2 series in each hand. Don’t try too hard either: To get the maximum effect from the exercise, the researchers suggest sticking to 30 percent of the maximum possible effort for the 2 minutes of the exercise. So it might be a good idea to use a knob or elastic resistor that allows you to adjust the strength. Rather, the secret lies in doing the exercise consistently for at least 2 months.
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