Blood pressure in the UAE can effect anyone. It’s important to note that blood pressure is not just a condition that effects people who are over-weight.

Because there is confusion about whether regular exercise can help we asked a professional personal trainer for his advice.

Although anyone with blood pressure issues should seek medical advice before exercising in Dubai or Abu Dhabi but do you think (as a professional Personal Trainer) that doing exercise regularly can help maintain healthy blood pressure?

Regular exercises is proved by multiple studies including one from the NCBI to reduce the blood pressure to some degree.

The main reason for this is that exercising will provide regular blood flow which can reduce blood pressure.

Although it’s not a condition that is exclusively a problem with being overweight, exercising will help you reduce your weight too.

Also one great benefit of exercise will be reduction of cravings.

Many people in Dubai or Abu Dhabi with the condition tend to snack on high fat, high sugar foods that.

This leads to cholesterol buildup and is one of the main reason for the blood pressure rise to unhealthy levels.

You can find great articles and tips on proper nutrition here. 

How much exercise do you think someone with high blood pressure (hypertension) should be doing on a weekly basis?

It always depends on a person and his or her fitness level and previous experience.

But the very common reason of high blood pressure is increased weight, which very often comes from inactivity and poor choices in nutrition.

That causes the buildup of cholesterol in the blood vessels.

The reason the condition increases is that the blood will have less space to pass through the vessels that are narrowed with cholesterol, therefore, the heart must work way harder to provide the blood flow, which causes the pressure to rise.

Taking this into consideration, I would advise a client in Dubai that they can start from three to five times per week and do light intensity exercises. Swimming and yoga are perfect for this as well as moderate free weight training.

The main thing to remember is that this training needs to be consistent. Try to make it a habit because blood pressure levels can increase again unless regular exercise is taken.

If I have a client who’s deemed to be in the risk zone (above 150-160), then the heart rate should not get too high through exercise.

Usually a doctor will inform a patient in Dubai or Abu Dhabi what levels their heart rate should go up to during exercise.

What are the best types of exercise to help control blood pressure? 

The best exercises for lowering blood pressure will be any sort of aerobic activities – running, cycling, brisk walking, rowing, swimming etc.

The intensity of the training must stay relatively low, and the better option will be long-duration training.

This will provide better flow of the blood as well as weight-loss without any risk for health.

The intensity of training can of course be increased as you get used to your new exercise regime.

Aerobic exercises are excellent but should be done with caution.

A good guide is that you should still be able to talk and not be completely out of breath. If you speak well due to breathlessness reduce the intensity of your cardio exercise until you get used to it.

Everything will depend on the previous experience of the client and the physical readiness. Training in this case must be taken with care and slow progression.

Are there any exercise types that need to be avoided?

The biggest danger for people living in Dubai and Abu Dhabi can be the heat and humidity.

Too much moisture in the the air won’t allow the body to cool down.

High temperature and high humidity will require the heart to work twice as hard and puts a person under increased risk.

Heavy lifting is also not recommended for people with high blood pressure, as it instantly increases it in the moment of lifting, puts a lot of unnecessary strain on person’s heart.

Resistance training is considered ok, however, it doesn’t demonstrate that it will have any an impact on the lowering of blood pressure – accept as the beneficial in training for fat loss.

It must be stressed that if you are inexperienced in exercise and fitness you should consult and use a personal trainer in Dubai or a personal trainer in Abu Dhabi if you have any kind of medical condition.