什麼運動最有利於降血壓

The New York Times
什麼運動最有利於降血壓（英文）
GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
Alex di Suvero for The New York Times

摘要：無論是散步、騎單車還是輕負重訓練，甚至哪怕只是站着，幾乎所有的運動都有助於降低血壓。運動在很大程度上能夠改善血管的僵硬度，幫助血液正常流動，從而達到降壓的功效。相比集中的大強度運動，將運動時間區隔開來平均分配效果可能更好。

What is the best exercise to control high blood pressure?

Answer:

Take your pick, as the best exercise to control high blood pressure seems to be virtually any exercise, like walking or cycling or light weight training, especially if your workouts are spread throughout the day.

“Even standing might work,” says Glenn Gaesser, the director of the Healthy Lifestyles Research Center at Arizona State University and an expert on exercise and hypertension.

Exercise lowers blood pressure in large part by altering blood vessel stiffness so blood flows more freely. This effect occurs during and immediately after a workout, so the blood-pressure benefits from exercise are most pronounced right after you work out.

As a result, the best way to fight hypertension may be to divvy up your workout into bite-size pieces. In a 2012 study by Dr. Gaesser, three 10-minute walks spread throughout the day were better at preventing subsequent spikes in blood pressure — which can indicate worsening blood pressure control — than one 30-minute walk. And if even a 10-minute walk sounds daunting, try standing more often. In another study led by Dr. Gaesser and published in August, overweight volunteers with blood pressure problems were asked to sit continuously during an eight-hour workday while their blood pressure was monitored. The readings were, as expected, unhealthy.

But when, during another workday, those volunteers stood up every hour for at least 10 minutes, their blood pressure readings improved substantially.

The readings were even better when, on additional workdays, the volunteers strolled at a pokey 1-mile-per-hour pace at treadmill desks for at least 10 minutes every hour or pedaled under-desk exercise bikes for the same number of minutes every hour.

“Exercise intensity does not appear to play any significant role” in helping people control blood pressure, Dr. Gaesser says. Movement is what matters. So go for a stroll a few times during the day or simply stand up more often to develop healthier blood pressure.