Part III: Treating (Or Preventing) High Blood Pressure in .NET framework

Generation QR Code in .NET framework Part III: Treating (Or Preventing) High Blood Pressure

systolic (see 2 for more about blood pressure measurement), which is just as good as most pills can accomplish If you re really enjoying the exercise and want to rev it up, that s up to you but going farther and faster won t lower your blood pressure any more People with high blood pressure have a post-exercise fall in blood pressure that may last seven or eight hours Therefore, daily exercise can have a much more profound effect on your blood pressure than exercising only three or four times a week

For maximum fitness, most exercise programs combine two types of exercises: aerobic and anaerobic Aerobic means with oxygen During aerobic exercise, the body uses oxygen to help provide energy Aerobic activity can be sustained for more than a few minutes, and it involves major groups of muscles (particularly the legs but also the arms if you can t use your legs) Activities such as walking, running, cycling, tennis, basketball, and so forth make your heart pump faster during the exercise Anaerobic means without oxygen Anaerobic exercises are very intense, so they can t be sustained for very long Examples are lifting heavy weights and doing the 100-yard dash They depend on sources of energy that are already available (like glucose in your muscle) Engaging in a regular aerobic exercise program can, over time, lower your blood pressure up to 10 millimeters of mercury systolic and enable you to get off a blood pressure medication In contrast, anaerobic exercises, although great for increasing the strength of individual muscles, don t go on long enough to improve heart function or lower your blood pressure But a program of both aerobic and anaerobic exercises gives you the best of both worlds lower blood pressure and stronger muscles (See the Exercising for Strength section later in this chapter for practical anaerobic exercise ideas)

The range of aerobic exercise choices is limitless Mix it up a bit Play tennis several days a week and do something else, perhaps walking, the other days Walking is the exercise that almost everybody can do; you don t have to belong to a special club, and, unless you live in an area that has snow a good portion of the year, you can walk outside most any day even in the rain (Use an umbrella; you can t melt) You can easily walk alone, but walking with

a friend makes the activity more pleasant and also allows you to encourage each other to stay committed Table 12-1 outlines a walking program that starts slowly; most people can complete Level 1 without a great deal of difficulty (If the distance is too great for you, begin with half the distance) When you can accomplish the goals of one level once a day for seven days, you re ready to move to the next level If you did the test that I describe earlier in Checking your physical condition, you already know how fast you can walk a mile Start at that level, not a slower one, and build from there If you didn t do a fitness test, walk a mile and check your time Begin the seven days at that level Table 12-1 breaks the walking program into 15 levels so you can work your way up to a desired level of fitness to lower your blood pressure

Table 12-1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Distance (in Miles)

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2

Time (in Minutes)

30 28 26 24 22 20 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24

11 2 1 2

11 2 1 2

11 2 1 2

11 2 1 2