Regular physical activity is a great way to improve your overall heart health, function, and endurance. Exercises that boost your heart health specifically are those that are of a moderate intensity and that move your major muscle groups. They are aerobic in nature and typically increase your breathing and heart rate by challenging your cardiorespiratory system. Some examples of these activities include walking, swimming, cycling, dancing, and aqua aerobics.

The National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that all Australian adults participate in moderate intensity aerobic activity for 30 minutes on most days of the week. The goal is to reach a “lightly puffing” intensity where you can still carry out a conversation, but not be out of breath. Resistance exercise training (e.g. lifting weights) and isometric exercises (i.e. holding a contraction) also produce small, but measurable benefits for blood pressure. Research has shown that people living with diabetes who engage in regular physical activity benefit from both lower blood pressure and reduced cholesterol, in addition to better management of their blood glucose levels.

Heart health

The Heart Foundation reports that around 30% of people with type 2 diabetes also have cardiovascular disease. In addition, in 2017-18, The Australian National Health Survey found that just over one in five (22.8% or 4.3 million people) Australians aged 18 years and over had a measured high blood pressure reading. This has remained unchanged since 2014-15 (23.0%). This is where physical activity can be really powerful to both prevent and manage high blood pressure, as well as look after your overall heart health.

High blood pressure

For those that have high blood pressure (140/90mmHg or above) and use blood pressure lowering medications, there are a few considerations when exercising. Firstly, it is recommended that you seek medical clearance from your doctor and start small and build up the frequency, intensity, and duration of exercise slowly. People with a resting systolic blood pressure of 180 mmHg or more, or a resting diastolic blood pressure of 110 mmHg or more, should postpone their exercise program and seek medical advice.

It is a great idea to measure your blood pressure before, during, and after exercise. This provides you with feedback about how your body is responding and if you need to make any changes to your exercise routine next time you complete that activity. An extended warm up and cool down period of 10-15 minutes can be useful. This allows your body to respond appropriately to the increase in intensity, as well as help return your heart rate and blood pressure to normal resting levels post-exercise.

It’s also important to breathe normally during exercise to avoid increasing your blood pressure unnecessarily. When participating in aerobic exercise or flexibility and stretching, try and breathe in and out at a steady rhythmical pace. During resistance or strength training, it’s recommended to breathe out with effort. For example, if you were doing wall push-ups, you would breathe in as you lower your body towards the wall and breathe out as you push away from the wall.

Complications

High blood pressure can lead to diabetes-related complications, including heart and kidney disease as well as eye conditions. It is for this reason that people with high blood pressure should avoid physical activity that requires sudden bursts of activity or strain as these may increase the risk of arterial rupture, heart attack, or stroke. Activities to avoid may include heavy weightlifting, playing squash, or sprinting. Stopping exercise suddenly should also be avoided as it may result in a drop in blood pressure. As mentioned earlier, walking, cycling, and swimming are great alternative activities to elevate your heart rate and blood pressure safely. 

Further information

If you are looking for more individualised advice regarding appropriate exercise for you, an Accredited Exercise Physiologist (AEP) can help. They can assess your fitness, prescribe a safe exercise program, and monitor your blood pressure response to exercise. An AEP can be accessed through a diabetes care plan, so have a chat to your doctor for a referral. Find an AEP here.

By Hayley Nicholson, Exercise Physiologist and Credentialled Diabetes Educator