Findings of the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggest that reducing exercising levels can elevate the chances of high blood pressure. However, getting some exercise right from the teenage may help keep the blood pressure in check.
The U.S. Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children and adolescents get at least one hour of physical activity daily.
1300 children studied
To find out whether exercising helps in preventing health complications in teenagers, a team from the Montreal University in Canada conducted a study on 1300 children aged between 12 to 13 years for five years.
During the five-year study period, the participants periodically reported on their physical activity levels to the research team. Researchers also noted their blood pressure and body fat from time to time.
For proper evaluation of the exercising activity, the participants were asked to report the number of times they underwent moderate to vigorous activities in the past week--like biking, walking or jogging--for at least 5 minutes daily.
Blood pressure inched upwards with a loss in exercising session
It was found that blood pressure of the subjects used to increase slightly each time a participant skipped his/her fitness routine during the course of the study. This meant an increase of slightly less than one point in systolic blood pressure
of the subjects.
Systolic blood pressure is defined as the elevated blood pressure when the heart starts contracting obstructing the blood flow to and from the body.
Benefits of exercising
High blood pressure is a key risk factor in health complications including cardiac arrests, diabetes and high cholesterol. The risk of hypertension increases with age, however, one can keep his/her blood pressure in control by regularly indulging in physical activity.
It will serve two purposes; one, exercise will lower your systolic blood pressure and make the heart stronger so that it pumps more blood with less efforts, and secondly, it will help you maintain a healthy weight, which is very vital in controlling blood pressure.
Even if one has high blood pressure, the drug-free approach is certainly beneficial in controlling it. Start slowly and the benefits will increase as you continue to workout.
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