best way of reducing resting heart rate/blood pressure?

[Fred]

my resting heart rate is 92!!!! my blood pressure is just inside the normal range

obviously i want to get these readings down, how should i do it?

i was thinking hiit?

[Fred]

took my blood pressure + resting hr again

165/115 and 94bpm

so blood pressure is basically off the charts during the day and ok in the mornings

im going to go to the doctors early next week, but i need any suggestions you can give me too

[GoldenArrow]

****in ell....

If I were you...

Drop all possible salt out of your diet, drink plenty of water, try hawthorne berry, lay off caffeine and any other stimulants.

Gentle cardio, don't even think about HIIT/Tabata in my opinion.

[GoldenArrow]

Although.....I would ask how you are taking the blood pressure readings.

[Fred]

i've tried hawthorne berry before, didnt do much, im taking fishoil & green tea and also going to get some garlic capsules

i have been taking a lot of caffeine in now that you say it, i'll stop that, and i don't really add any salt to anything i eat so that is in check

lol i've just done 50 minutes of HIIT, if you can call it that lol, i spent most of the time resting

i bought a blood pressure monitor, and it's accurate because everyone else i test it has them as normal, like they were when they have had it done at the docs

i'm going to doc's next week to make sure and so they can tell me if there is anything wrong with me other than simply being unfit

[GoldenArrow]

You were warned ;)

[Fred]

:097: no one warned me!!!

i shouldn't have to be dealing with this shit at my age

[PikeKing]

dont do HIIT, dont lift heavy

[DMPM]

They took my heart rate when I joined the gym on Monday, it's was 79, which I thought would be lower. Then again, I drank about 6 cups of strong coffee that afternoon, so I guess that didn't help.

I'm going to snort valium next time.

[Fred]

dont do HIIT, dont lift heavy

what cardio should i do then?

[Man of Steel]

Brisk walks.

[Fred]

with me not having a car atm, i walk everywhere... doesnt seem to have helped so far! :012:

[Man of Steel]

Walk faster so you break into a sweat.

[Fred]

ok, so a slow jog basically

[Man of Steel]

Or walk like they do in walking races. If you're sending stuff 1st class it only costs 60p more to send it by recorded delivery.

[GoldenArrow]

???

[Man of Steel]

The second sentence isn't a twisted walking analogy, I just thought Chegger's would like to know it.

[Knighty]

I wouldn't recommend running a lot if you are already quite heavy or looking to gain weight, especially if weight training is your main concern

uphill walking, swimming, cycling, stair climbing, very light circuit training are all good options if you want to preserve your joints

Also watch what you eat, lose any trace of macho attitude, and look into Pilates and yoga:048:

[Fred]

i've lost 13lbs over the last few weeks, so i am only 202lbs now

this is mainly because i've cleaned my diet up and stopped eating the help way

i seem to feel a bit better for it generally

[Justin Hurley]

IMO the most logical thing to do is to see a doctor. They may prescribe some meds to reduce your BP / HR quickly and then use the above sugggestions to control / prevent a further re-occurence.

[Fred]

there is a 2-3 week waiting list for my doctor and so they won't allow me to see her, so they say to see one of the other ones, and they are all crap

but im considering going soon, although things have improved a lot

[lil_jimmy]

Dude, just read this thread and im in a similar dilemma! My BP last Xmas was around 160/110. The cut-off for hypertension is 140/90.

I've had a really bad diet since being a teenager, i practically lived off KFC and kebabs, my bodyfat skyrocketed and my habits became even worse when i came to uni 5 yrs ago. The BP measurement really shocked me, my bro-in-law took it and i thought he was joking when he told me the reading. He repeated it and sure enough it wasnt a joke.

Since then i've tried to make a strong effort to lose bodyfat, and like you, stop being a fat waster :P I've cut out salt, reduced the junk and increased the veggies. Im also doing cardio whenever i can (this ends up being 2-3 times a week), im quite heavy at 110k so i try to avoid jogging, sticking to rowing, elliptical trainer and other non-impact types of cardio.

Its really important to get a grip of this problem before complications develop, the last thing you want is heart disease before the age of 40. Go to the doctor, just so he can rule out anything which may be sinister, and then make the lifestyle adjustments.

Most of all dont worry and dont despair, your not alone in this.

Jimbo

[Fred]

Thanks for that, things are definately improving, but I will go to the doctor as you say and mention it :023:

[Fred]

Also, do you take any supps to help with your blood pressure?

Best things i've heard are: hawthorne berry, celery seed, garlic and fish oil

I use fishoil but I'm thinking of getting the others to see if they have an effect.

[Robert]

Garlic.

[lil_jimmy]

Also, do you take any supps to help with your blood pressure?

Best things i've heard are: hawthorne berry, celery seed, garlic and fish oil

I use fishoil but I'm thinking of getting the others to see if they have an effect.

Im not really a big believer in supplements, but i guess if they do no harm then theres nothing against not trying them.

Im trying to control the lifestyle factors, ie the diet and exercise, more than anything else.

Jimbo

[Fred]

i'm trying some garlic & lecithin caps as of today 'cos they were going cheap in boots

unfortunately they aren't odour controlled and they STINK!

[Mark]

Haven't see this thread before....

How are things now mate?

If you have blood pressure problems you should avoid lifting heavy weights. Do lots of cardio (long moderate sessions rather than short explosive sessions) and eat a healthy diet which is low in salt.

My brother (he also lifts weights) was recently diagnosed with borderline hypertension and was advised not to lift heavy weights. The doctor told him that heavy squatting, deadlifting etc is not good for cardiovascular health...

[Fred]

i've gotten my blood pressure down to just inside normal levels now :)

although it could still be much better i have drastically improved even with minimum cardio (whcih i will be doing as soon as its a bit warmer)

my diet is much better and i have been avoiding salt and caffeine and have been taking garlic and fishoil caps

all is good <buff>