Two things to avoid when exercising for high blood pressure: Analysis of the risks of neglecting warm-up and strenuous exercise.

Avoid exercising without warming up: Just as starting a car engine immediately reduces its lifespan, exercising without warming up can negatively impact your health. This is because it causes a rapid rise in blood pressure, a sudden increase in the heart's workload, and can easily damage muscles and joints. This is especially important for people with hypertension; they must perform warm-up exercises to relax their bodies before exercising. After exercise, to eliminate fatigue and allow breathing and pulse to return to normal, some cool-down exercises are also necessary.

It is important to note that because blood pressure is highly unstable in people with hypertension, even light exercise requires warm-up and cool-down exercises. Warm-up exercises include stretching exercises for 5-10 minutes, such as stretching the Achilles tendon, thigh muscles, and joints. This promotes blood circulation, gradually raises body temperature, and warms the respiratory, circulatory, nervous, muscle, and joint systems, preparing them for immediate and effortless exercise. It also prepares them mentally, knowing that "exercise is about to begin." Cool-down exercises effectively allow muscles and bodily functions excited by exercise to gradually return to their pre-exercise stable state. During exercise, muscles assist in blood circulation. If exercise suddenly stops, the heart, which is responsible for blood circulation, will be under increased strain, causing blood to stagnate in the extremities.

To avoid this, gentle muscle movement is necessary to restore the heart to its normal state and gradually restore blood circulation. This also effectively removes lactic acid and other fatigue-causing substances accumulated in the muscles, quickly relieving fatigue. Stretching exercises after exercise, or slowing down the pace of aerobic walking until the pulse rate gradually returns to normal, are recommended before ending the exercise, followed by deep breathing.

Of course, walking itself is a warm-up exercise and a form of gentle exercise, so there is no specific distinction between warm-up and cool-down exercises.

Avoid strenuous exercise: While exercise is an effective non-drug therapy for hypertension, some overly strenuous exercises, such as basketball or soccer, can cause a significant rise in blood pressure and may even trigger complications such as myocardial infarction. These types of exercises are clearly not suitable as exercise therapy for patients with hypertension. Experts recommend that patients with hypertension engage in light exercise, which, numerically speaking, is about half the intensity of the exercise (such as running or jumping) that they can no longer continue. In professional terms, this is 50% of their maximum oxygen uptake (VO2 max).

VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can absorb in one minute. VO2 max varies from person to person; the higher the number, the easier it is to absorb oxygen, indicating higher exercise capacity and greater stamina.

Marathon runners typically measure their VO2 max (maximum oxygen uptake) by running on a treadmill with weights on their shoulders and wearing a mask. Hypertensive patients can use this as a guide: imagine engaging in light, sustained exercise at 50% of their VO2 max, or about half the intensity. In the latter part of the exercise, they should only sweat slightly.

Generally, hypertensive patients should maintain regular and steady breathing during exercise, avoiding heavy breathing. Their heart should not beat violently, allowing them to exercise easily and continuously. And you can exercise while chatting and laughing with the people next to you.

Of course, the intensity of exercise should vary from person to person. Different physical conditions and external environments will result in different levels of intensity. People with lower physical strength should naturally exercise at a lower intensity compared to those with better physical strength. Medical and kinesiology experts suggest that patients with hypertension should combine the following points when engaging in exercise therapy:

(1) Avoid strenuous exercise to ensure that both physical and mental fatigue are not excessive.

(2) During exercise, blood pressure should only rise slightly to ensure a safe and comfortable exercise experience.

(3) Prevent the accumulation of lactic acid, a fatigue-inducing substance, in the muscles, thus avoiding fatigue and allowing for sustained exercise over a long period.

(4) Avoid causing cardiac hypoxia to ensure a high level of safety.

(5) Avoid the risk of injury to the leg muscles or joints.

(6) Achieve appropriate fat removal from the body. In summary, patients with hypertension should choose suitable exercise programs based on their age, physical condition, and constitution to lower blood pressure, strengthen their bodies, enhance immunity, and regain a healthy physique.