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Dr. Mitch Rice - Top 3 Exercises To Lower Blood Pressure Naturally
Intro
Today we're talking about the best three exercises to lower blood pressure naturally. If you want to bring down your numbers naturally, you have to improve how you move your body. But the problem is most people have no idea which kinds of exercises actually work the best for lowering blood pressure.
Well, here's the truth that may surprise you. The best exercises for lowering blood pressure have nothing to do with going to the gym or running. The top cardiology studies all point to the same set of movements and their secret is simple. The exercises they recommend are just better.
So, in today's video, I'm going to walk you through the exact three exercises that I give to my own patients to lower blood pressure quickly and effectively. If you do these consistently, you will see results. I know this works because I'm a board-certified primary care physician, and these are the same exercises I've seen lower blood pressure in dozens of my own patients without having to add a single medication.
Why Exercise Is So Critical for Blood Pressure
All right, before I break down the top three exercises, I want to get crystal clear on why exercise is so important for blood pressure, because it's probably not for the reason that you think.
Most people believe that exercise helps with blood pressure simply because it burns calories and helps to facilitate weight loss. But here's the surprising part. Exercise acts directly on the arteries themselves to help lower blood pressure.
Think of your arteries like garden hoses. If a garden hose stiffens over time, fluid has to push harder just to make it through the end of the hose. The water doesn't flow out where you want it to go as easily and the pressure shoots up on the inside. Exercise doesn't just burn calories. It's kind of like leaving those garden hoses in the sun, which softens the hose to allow the water to pass through more freely. In the same way, exercise makes your arteries more flexible, allowing blood to flow to the parts of the body that need it the most.
But this is only the first advantage of exercise. There's also another advantage of exercise that almost nobody's talking about. And honestly, it has nothing to do with your muscles overall, but has everything to do with your nervous system.
Your body essentially runs on two pedals. The gas pedal, or the sympathetic nervous system, revs your body up, putting you in that fight-or-flight mode that everyone is so keenly aware of. The brake pedal, or the parasympathetic nervous system, helps to calm us down and puts us back into that rest and recover mode.
Now, here's where it gets fascinating. Most people with chronically elevated blood pressure live in a state where the gas pedal is always three-quarters down. Their sympathetic nervous system is on overdrive. What exercise does is actually strengthen the brake pedal, which helps offset that sympathetic nervous system. Over time, it trains your body to switch into different gears between the gas and the brake pedal, leading to overall increased rest and digest, ultimately lowering blood pressure.
And the cool part about this is you don't need months of exercise for this to happen. The nervous system reset can start within just a week of doing these exercises consistently.
Exercise #1
Now, all three exercises that we're going to talk about are in a class known as isometric exercises. And the first one on this list is wall sits. Wall sits are considered isometric because you're holding consistent tension without actually moving your body.
What does the research show on this? Well, a systematic review of about 25 years of clinical trials showed isometric training reduced blood pressure more than aerobic exercise, strength training, as well as HIIT workouts. Wall sits alone tend to lower systolic blood pressure on average by about 10 points. This is the exact same amount of drop that you would see if initiating a first-line blood pressure medication.
Now, what you want to do is put your back flat against a wall and bend your legs at the knees to where it feels most comfortable for you. If you have chronic knee or back issues, just take it slow. Don't go crazy with this and flex your knees to the point where you feel any pain.
Hold that position for about 30 seconds. Over time, build up to where you can hold that position for one to three minutes, doing this about three to five times in a row with about a 30-second break in between each round. Make sure you don't hold your breath while you do this, because you can get lightheaded and dizzy and pass out. Always breathe while doing these exercises.
Wall sits have an extra benefit as well. It's not just for blood pressure. It can help strengthen your quads, glutes, and core, which helps improve balance and reduces the risk of falling as we age gracefully.
️ Exercise #2
Exercise number two is squat holds. You can think of squat holds like a wall sit, but there isn't actually a wall present. You're doing this with your own body's mechanics.
What you want to do is place your arms out in front of you, have your legs about shoulder width apart, and then go into a traditional squat position, going down only as much as is comfortable for you. Again, if you have knee or back issues, squat down to what feels comfortable for you. The same thing with wall sits is you want to hold this squat position for about 30 seconds, working your way up to doing this for one to three minutes at a time, and again doing about four to five rounds total.
Some mistakes to try to avoid are watching your heels lift off the ground. Make sure that every single part of your foot is touching the ground, and don't let your knees cave inward, as this can create increased stress on the knee joints. Some modifications include putting a chair behind you for a little extra support. Or, if you're already a pro at doing this, you can add a little extra weight with a 5 to 10 pound dumbbell in each hand.
Just like wall sits, squat holds can improve overall endurance in your life by getting you better at walking upstairs and carrying heavy groceries, and by reducing your risk of falls.
Exercise #3
Now, we've covered two exercises for the lower body, but what about the core? It is so important for stabilizing our entire body. The last exercise, exercise number three on this list, is planks. This is a full-body isometric contraction, and it really teaches nervous system resiliency under stress.
There have been a myriad of studies showing that consistent plank work lowers both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by anywhere from three to eight points, and it can help significantly improve posture and reduce the risk of low back complications. I'll put a picture of what a proper plank looks like on the screen here.
Just like the other two exercises, start with 20 to 30 second holds and build up to one to three minutes at a time, again for four to five sets total. Some mistakes to avoid are sagging hips or letting your pelvis drop too close to the floor. Avoid looking up for prolonged periods, as this can strain the neck. And, like all three exercises, really try to avoid holding your breath. Holding your breath while doing this can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, or passing out.
The Big Picture
Putting this all together, we talked about three powerful isometric exercises that research has shown can lower blood pressure more than aerobic exercise and resistance or strength training. But any movement, whether it's walking, cycling, yoga, playing pickleball, or any type of movement you can do consistently during the week, will lower your blood pressure.
Finally, a 5 to 10 point drop in systolic blood pressure may not seem like a lot, but it creates an estimated 15 to 20% lower stroke risk. That's not just a small tweak. It can be lifesaving.
FREE PDF!!
If you can't remember everything we talked about in today's video, that's totally fine. I put together a free resource that outlines the best exercises to lower blood pressure naturally, and if you want to grab that PDF, I'll link it down below, completely free.
Exercise is extremely important for lowering blood pressure, but honestly, it's only half the story. If you really want to bring your numbers down quickly and effectively and keep them there, then what you eat is just as important. I break down the top three most important foods in order to lower blood pressure naturally.