What Type of Exercise Will Help Control Blood Pressure: Strength or Cardio?
In our modern lives, a sedentary lifestyle has become the norm, which can lead to serious health problems, including hypertension or high blood pressure. Statistics show that this phenomenon is becoming more and more common, especially at a young age.
Because of this, the question of how to properly take care of your health and prevent the development of hypertension is becoming more and more relevant. In this article, we will look at two types of physical activity – cardio and strength – and their effect on blood pressure. We will discuss how these two types of exercise can help control blood pressure.
Blood Pressure: Causes and Influencing Factors
Blood pressure (BP) is a measure of the force with which blood presses against the walls of our arteries as it circulates through our bodies. It is measured by a blood pressure monitor, which indicates two values: the upper blood pressure (systolic blood pressure) and the lower blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure). It depends on three main factors that are important to understand and take into account.
The first factor is the stroke volume of the heart. It determines the power of the jet of blood ejected into the vessels. The higher the stroke volume, the greater the pressure, because the blood puts more pressure on the vascular walls.
The second factor is peripheral vascular resistance. This is a kind of “difficulty” with which blood flows through capillaries and other small vessels. If the vascular bed consists of a large number of small tubes, the total cross-section will be larger and the pressure will be lower. If the vascular bed consists of fewer but larger tubes, the pressure will increase.
The third factor is the volume of circulating blood. If the volume of blood in the body increases, for example, in congestive heart failure, the pressure in the vessels also increases. Therefore, it is important to monitor the cardiovascular system and control fluid levels in the body. Understanding what factors affect your blood pressure can help reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular disease and keep your circulatory system healthy overall.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It can lead to serious consequences such as heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Not surprisingly, hypertension is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
However, there are several ways that can help control blood pressure and prevent the development of hypertension. Regular exercise is known to be one of the most effective ways to lower blood pressure and improve overall health. Among the different types of exercise, cardio and strength training are considered the most popular and effective for controlling blood pressure and preventing hypertension.
What Is the Effect of Cardio and Strength Training on Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure depends not only on physical activity, but also on the condition of the vascular system. During strength training, there is an increase in pressure within the muscle tissues, which can lead to a temporary increase in blood pressure. However, regular strength training can lower blood pressure in the long term by improving vascular elasticity and reducing peripheral resistance.
On the other hand, cardio exercise, such as running, swimming and cycling, has positive effects on the cardiovascular system by improving blood flow, increasing the volume of blood that can be pumped by the heart per contraction (stroke volume), and reducing overall peripheral vascular resistance.
It is also worth noting that regular exercise can reduce the risk of many cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, arteriosclerosis and stroke. This is because physical activity improves overall cardiovascular health, lowers blood cholesterol and helps control glucose levels.
When we talk about fast muscle fibers, they use glucose for energy, which is fermented without the involvement of oxygen. This process is called glycolysis, and its end products are carbon dioxide and lactic acid. This method of energy supply is not very beneficial for the body, as it leads to a rapid accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles and fatigue.
In contrast to fast muscle fibers, slow muscle fibers contract using energy that is generated in the mitochondria with the help of oxygen. This process is called oxidative phosphorylation, and its end product is ATP, the body’s main source of energy for cells. Slow muscle fibers are rich in mitochondria and need more oxygen, so they can work longer and more efficiently than fast muscle fibers.
In addition, when slow muscle fibers work, special substances are produced that promote the growth of the capillary network in the muscle. Therefore, muscles dominated by slow muscle fibers have a higher density of capillaries per unit volume, which provides them with more efficient nutrition and improves their functional status.
With systematic endurance training, such as cardio exercise, slow fiber muscles produce substances that promote capillary network growth. This leads to an increase in capillary volume and a decrease in peripheral vascular resistance. Cardio exercise that promotes capillary network growth is more beneficial in reducing blood pressure.
For the same cardiac stroke volume and circulating blood volume, loads that increase the capillary network contribute to a decrease in peripheral vascular resistance, which leads to a drop in blood pressure. This is easily seen in people with normal responses to physical exertion, who have a drop in blood pressure within half an hour after an intense walk or jog.
During exercise, the capillaries dilate, which leads to a decrease in peripheral vascular resistance and a decrease in circulating blood volume, which remains in those muscles that have been loaded. This suggests that cardio exercise, which promotes capillary network growth, may be an effective means of controlling blood pressure.
The effect of cardio exercise on lowering blood pressure is primarily due to improved capillary network performance. Increased capillary density leads to faster delivery of nutrients to the muscles, including glucose. When performing cardio exercise, glucose quickly enters the muscles and is used to meet energy needs, which leads to smoothing out glucose peaks after meals. Thanks to a well-developed capillary network, less insulin is released, which reduces the likelihood of developing negative insulin side effects.
It should also be noted that cardio exercise has a positive effect on the metabolism. They speed up the metabolism and help burn calories, which can be useful for people who want to control their weight or improve their physical fitness. Thus, cardio exercise has many health benefits, including lowering blood pressure, improving metabolism, and controlling blood glucose levels.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we want to emphasize the importance of taking care of your health in advance, before any symptoms and illnesses begin to appear. You should not wait until you begin to feel painful manifestations or high blood pressure to start taking steps to improve your health. After all, just as with alarm installation, it is better to take care of your health in advance than to later regret not doing it sooner. Don’t forget that simple actions like daily cardio exercise and healthy eating can make a big difference in your health and reduce your risk for many diseases. And remember, taking care of your health is an investment in your future that will only benefit you.