People with hypertension who have not played sports before should understand that you need to start with light exercise. The duration of the first lesson is no more than 10-15 minutes. To make exercise not only safe but also effective, you should also buy a sports watch to check your heart rate. It will help you train in safe heart rate zones and gather the necessary information about your workout.
It is optimal to test on a treadmill with gas analysis and lactate determination (treadmill test) before training. It allows you to individually calculate safe heart rate zones and helps identify patients with coronary heart disease, heart failure, for whom planned exercise may be contraindicated.
Let’s consider the basic rules of running for patients with hypertension:
– In the initial training – the first 2-3 weeks – you should run at a slow pace with a low heart rate.
– Training should start with a light warm-up. This should not be stretching, but dynamic light gymnastics. You can do squats, tilts back and forth, circular motions.
– It is also important not to start running immediately after leaving home. It is recommended to take a brisk walk, do a warm-up, and only then start jogging.
– After 2-3 weeks of regular training, it is permissible to increase the pace and duration of the run. Over time, you will be able to improve your running time – it’s 40-60 minutes to train.
– The number of workouts per week varies and depends on comorbidities, general physical fitness. It is unlikely that two workouts a week will be effective, it is desirable to train 3-5 times. Even if it is not possible to devote enough time to training, 10-15 minutes of activity is better than its absence.
– Remember that running always increases appetite. But it is better to eat after a workout, because running immediately after a meal is not recommended. If you are very hungry, you can eat some fruit or drink tea with sugar to avoid stomach discomfort.
– Before you start training, it is important to choose the right running shoes. Unfortunately, modern city dwellers are accustomed to very comfortable shoes, which weaken the foot muscles, and many people have flat feet of varying severity.
– You also need to buy special clothes. It should be light and not interfere with movement, protect from the weather. If you have hypertension, avoid clothes that are too warm to avoid overheating. Hoodies and pants with a thick lining will cause discomfort during exercise, and overheating can lead to dehydration. This condition can cause instability of blood pressure both during and after exercise.
– Take your antihypertensive medication on time (eg Amlip, Amlopres-10). This is a must! Because untimely medication can cause a sharp rise in blood pressure while running. And this, in turn, can provoke such terrible consequences as a heart attack or stroke.