Exercises to lower blood pressure. Simple indoor training.
As we get older, many of us start to think more about our health.
Blood pressure is an important indicator in health management.
If you’re concerned about your blood pressure, it’s important to maintain healthy lifestyle habits and get moderate exercise—but what kind of exercise should you do?
In this article, we’ll introduce indoor exercises that can help lower blood pressure.
From movements for the hands and feet to full-body exercises, we’ve gathered options you can start today.
The most important thing is to just get started!
Pick anything that interests you and give it a try.
Exercises to lower blood pressure. Easy indoor workouts (1–10)
indoor walk
They say that moving your feet—such as your calves and heels—improves blood flow and helps stabilize blood pressure.
In fact, the calves are often called the “second heart.” The reason is that moving the calf muscles creates a pumping action similar to the heart.
This time, we’ll introduce indoor walking exercises that get your feet moving, including brisk walking and heel drops.
Swing both arms while marching in place, and try sliding your legs to the side.
Of course, please exercise according to each older adult’s physical condition.
Even for seniors who find standing difficult, try adapting the exercises by doing them while seated in a chair.
A full-body workout you can do in 5 minutes
Even when you set a goal to exercise, it can be hard to keep it up, right? This is recommended for those people: an exercise routine that can lower blood pressure by doing it for just 5 minutes a day! If it’s only 5 minutes, don’t you feel like you could give it a try and keep it up? First, march in place while swinging your arms.
Next, do a leg lift while holding onto the back of a chair.
There are also movements that work the shoulder blades and exercises where you open and close both hands while extending your arms forward, among others.
Because you can do different exercises within 5 minutes, it stays engaging and fun without getting boring.
This routine is easy for seniors to try as well.
Be sure to incorporate it into recreational activities!
stomping
If just two minutes of marching in place could help lower high blood pressure, you’d want to try it, right? This video introduces a marching exercise that can make that wish come true.
All the movements can be done while seated, so they’re safe for older adults.
Exercise not only improves physical function, but can also boost cognitive function and reduce stress.
While making exercise a daily habit can be challenging, these exercises require no preparation, making them easy to incorporate as recreational activities in senior care facilities.
Let’s enjoy doing them together and build healthier bodies!
Dash-in-place & Jump
We’d like to introduce an exercise you can easily do indoors without any equipment.
This routine involves sprinting in place for 30 seconds, taking a 10-second rest, then jumping in place for 30 seconds.
It’s a bit vigorous, but it’s effective for lowering blood pressure.
Even among active older adults, many are concerned about their health.
Because this exercise is easy to do indoors, it may be easier to stick with.
Be sure to do it at your own pace and make sure you have plenty of space around you before you start.
Stepping in place while lying down
Let me introduce a marching-in-place exercise you can do while lying down, even as you watch TV.
Doing leg-strengthening exercises is said to help stabilize blood pressure.
In particular, strengthening the calves is considered especially effective for lowering blood pressure.
The reason is that by training the calf muscles, they act like a pump similar to the heart, which improves circulation.
Strengthening the calves also helps stabilize the ankles, which can prevent falls.
So, let’s try a gentle, lying-down marching exercise that lets you move your legs without strain.
Move your legs while lying on your back or on your stomach.
The key is to continue every day without overexertion.
8-second jump
Watch your blood pressure drop in no time!? Why not try this enticingly named exercise? It’s called the “8-Second Jump.” As the name suggests, you simply do small jumps in place for eight seconds.
The key points are to relax your upper body and aim for two jumps per second.
It’s gained attention—even being featured on TV—so it sounds promising! You don’t need any special equipment, so you can start right away.
Just be mindful of your surroundings and give it a try!
seated squat
Lower your blood pressure without relying on medication by doing seated squats! If high blood pressure persists and blood vessels become fragile, the risks of stroke, heart attack, and dialysis increase.
This seated squat is an effective way to prevent these conditions in advance.
Unlike the intense squats most people imagine, this version lets you sit on a chair with each rep, making it easy for older adults to try.
The key points are the position of your toes and the angle at which you bend your knees.
Do the exercise at a comfortable pace that suits your condition, counting your reps without overexerting yourself.