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What is one of the first things a good doctor recommends when you are diagnosed with high blood pressure?<\/p>\nWhat is one of the first things a good doctor recommends when you are diagnosed with high blood pressure?<\/p>\n
Diet and exercises, right?<\/p>\n
But which exercises?<\/p>\n
A new study published in the American Journal of Hypertension<\/em> reveals a new type of exercise, which is quite effective at lowering blood pressure.<\/p>\n Researchers recruited 28 obese women between the ages of 19 and 27, who had body-mass index scores of between 30 and 40 kg\/m2. They all had high blood pressure, but did not have any other chronic health conditions.<\/p>\n They were divided into two groups \u2013 half received a 12-week course in mat Pilates and the other half was not expected to do any exercise above what they were already doing. <\/p>\n Mat Pilates is a series of exercises that focus specifically on the strengthening of your core muscles.<\/p>\n The 12-week course consisted of three sessions a week that included 10 minutes of stretching, 40 minutes of Pilates, followed by 10 minutes of cooling-down stretches. <\/p>\n By the end of week 12, the scientists found that the women in the mat Pilates group had 6 mmHg lower systolic blood pressure. <\/p>\n In addition, they had lower arterial stiffness and higher circulating levels of nitric oxide.<\/p>\n This proves that Pilates can help reduce your blood pressure scores, but it\u2019s not enough to cure your condition completely.<\/p>\n