Dear friends, have you ever worried about high blood pressure for yourself or your family? There are all kinds of blood pressure medications, but blood pressure is still difficult to control.
In fact, through diet and exercise, we can naturally help control blood pressure.
I have a friend, Uncle Zhang, who is in his 60s and has mild hypertension. At first, he relied on western medicine to control his blood pressure.
But his long-term dependence on drugs always made him feel uncomfortable. Recently, he has started experimenting with diet therapy and specific exercises to help lower blood pressure, and the results have been good.
Uncle Zhang found that eating more potassium-rich foods, such as bananas, potatoes, fungus, etc., can help regulate blood pressure.
In addition, he also began to try some sports suitable for middle-aged and elderly people. In particular, so-called "isometric exercises", including squatting against a wall, planks, and piles, are beneficial for depressurization.
Why are these exercises so amazing and effective in lowering blood pressure? Because while performing these exercises, our muscles contract, but the muscle length remains the same.
This can help improve microcirculation and enhance cardiopulmonary function, which can lead to lower blood pressure.
Usually, we can choose to do these simple exercises at home, without the need to prepare complex equipment, suitable for all ages.
I will explain in detail the precautions and correct practices of these sports:
The first is to squat against the wall. This action is embodied in life, which is the half-squat posture we usually use when going to the toilet or picking up things.
The main attention is to keep the body upright, feet shoulder-width apart, the weight between the heels and the soles of the feet, pay attention to the knees do not exceed the toes or twist inward, and the upper body should remain straight.
Then you can put your hands on the straddle and slowly squat down until your thigh muscles are sore, and then slowly stand up. Just repeat this action.
Persist for 1-3 minutes each time, you can do 2-5 sets, so that your thighs feel sore, and then you can stop and rest.
The second action is the plank. This can be more difficult for middle-aged and elderly people. You can start with a simple version of elbows and knees.
Bend your hands at 90 degrees, support your body with your elbows on the ground, and your knees on the ground, and keep your upper body, hips, and thighs in the same straight line as much as possible.
This action strengthens our core muscles. Try to do it for more than 30 seconds each time, rest for about 1 minute, and do it again after about 1 minute, and insist on more than 5 sets of each training.
If you feel strained, you can get down on your knees, get your upper body on the ground, and support your upper body with your elbows on the ground. This movement mainly works the muscles of our shoulders, back, waist and elbows.
The third action pile, which has relatively low requirements for middle-aged and elderly people. Standing is mainly to stand up straight, put your hands at your sides or chest, and stand for 3-5 minutes.
Here you need to pay attention to the body to be straight and not to hunch over. Standing piles can exercise the muscles that we usually stand on less and can be a great way to relax the mind.
In terms of dietary therapy, I recommend that foods containing potassium can be appropriately increased, such as bananas, fungus, potatoes, sesame seeds, etc.
Potassium-containing foods can help our body flush out excess sodium ions and reduce the amount of sodium in the blood, thereby lowering blood pressure.
However, it should not be excessive, and it is best to control it between 2000-4000 mg per day.
In addition, you can also eat some spicy foods appropriately, such as chili, ginger, garlic, fresh mint, etc.
Spicy food can boost our metabolism, stimulate blood vessel dilation, and speed up blood circulation, thus achieving the effect of lowering blood pressure. Of course, it should not be excessive, so as not to overstimulate it.
In terms of lifestyle, I recommend that you get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to many health problems, including increased blood pressure.
The average adult needs 7-8 hours of sleep per day. Therefore, it is very important to ensure the quality and duration of sleep.
In addition, proper deep breathing or meditation can also help with blood pressure control. We can choose a quiet and comfortable environment, place our hands on our abdomen, inhale slowly and deeply, and then exhale long.
Repeat this a few times to enter a meditative state. Deep breathing can help us relax, and meditation can reduce our mental stress, both of which can act as a blood pressure lower.
In terms of spiritual cultivation, I think we can do more activities to make ourselves happy, such as singing, dancing, watching comedy movies, chatting, playing with cats and dogs, etc., which are all good spices.
A happy mood also helps to keep blood pressure stable.
Through diet, exercise, and some lifestyle modifications, we can help control blood pressure and avoid over-reliance on medications. I hope that everyone will appreciate the charm of diet and proper exercise.