Blood Pressure (BP) Challenge: Aug ’23

Blood Pressure (BP) Challenge: Aug ’23

A new study reveals how sustained poses like plank, squats, and lunges are the best exercises for lowering blood pressure…

Our endeavor for the month of July 2023 is the BP Challenge. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a pervasive health issue in the US, affecting upwards of 70% of the population at some point in their lives. And high blood pressure puts one at risk for numerous severe medical problems including cardiovascular disease (read more). The good news is that there are key initiatives that we can take to help lower blood pressure.

A new study indicates that isometric exercise (poses like plank, side plank, wall squats etc) is the single best type of exercise for reducing blood pressure. The study furthermore suggests that a variety of forms exercises (i.e. isometric and cardio) is even more effective for lowering blood pressure.

The foods we eat also play a vital role in our heart health and blood pressure. PCRM advocates a plant-based diet to avoid hypertension.

Overall there is a lot we can do to control our blood pressure. All our yoga classes feature poses that are isometric exercise. So that is one way to control your BP. In addition, going for a brisk walk each day and being conscientious about the foods we eat play a significant role in our BP. Some believe that hypertension runs in the family, i.e. it is genetic, but, generally speaking, hypertension runs more “in the kitchen” than it does in the family. So let’s be proactive and refine our lifestyles choices and see what effect that has.

We should all know our blood pressure; do not just rely on getting it checked at the doctor’s office once or twice a year. There are numerous ways to effectively check your BP at home. This empowers us to then make the right lifestyle choices to cultivate a healthy BP.

Further Information

(Click the below images to enlarge)