In the medical and fitness world, any word with “hyper” as a prefix probably isn’t a good thing.

Hyper- used as a prefix to a word means over, implying an excess or exaggeration of the original word. The dreaded word “hypertension” refers to blood pressure that is over normal limits. Blood pressure is the pressure measured in the vessels that carry oxygenated blood to the body and organs. It is done the old fashioned way, with a device called a sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope.

The circulatory system is a closed system — travel begins and ends in the heart. The arteries are vessels (usually) carrying oxygenated blood to the organs and the veins are vessels that de-oxygenated blood returns to the lungs to be re-oxygenated. The arteries are made up of a muscular layer of tissue that can expand and contract with varying pressures in the system.

When you feel your pulse, you are feeling the artery responding to the heart contraction. Interestingly, the realization that there was a pathway carrying vital fluids dates back to medieval times. They called the blood, “vital spirits” and believed the content of the veins was a different material. It was in the 17th century that the system was fully understood.

Blood pressure measures the pressure in this closed system, allowing medical professionals to understand various things occurring in the body. You will receive two numbers from the measurement; the top number (systolic) is the amount of pressure created when the heart is contracting. The lower number (diastolic) is the amount of pressure in the system when the heart is in its resting phase.

Imagine walking up a hill against a constant wind of 30 mph, you would always feel that pressure to push against. If the wind decreased to 10 mph, the pressure and workload of climbing would be lessened. Hypertension increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and heart failure. Normal blood pressure is considered, 90-120/60-80mmHG.

Exercise can improve blood pressure. In a recent study, yoga done daily for one hour, consisting of breathing exercises, meditation and the postures, showed a decrease in diastolic blood pressure over a 3 month period.

Aerobic exercise (continuous exercise for greater than 20 minutes, using large muscle groups) or being moderately active most days of the week (striving for 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly) has proved to be helpful lowering the diastolic blood pressure. Walking, jogging, cycling, dancing, swimming and fitness classes would meet these criteria. This type of exercise has shown to lower the diastolic blood pressure by 4-9mmHg.

Strength training may help blood pressure by increasing lean tissue, metabolism and weight loss. If strength training is new to you, consult a trainer at the gym or research how to correctly use the equipment. For all fitness activities, focus on regular breathing and don’t hold your breath. Start slow and get permission from your medical provider, listen to your body, and learn proper technique.

Making lifestyle changes to improve your blood pressure will result in your heart being able to work more effectively with less effort. Lifestyle changes are within our control to make. These include; lose extra weight, reduce stress, eat a healthy diet, lower sodium intake, limit alcohol, quit smoking, decrease caffeine, and exercise regularly. Studies show that lowering the diastolic blood pressure by a mere 2 mmHg (points) has the potential to decrease the risk of coronary heart disease by 6 percent and the risk of strokes and mini-strokes by 15 percent. Lifestyle changes put the ability to make this powerful impact on health within reach — it’s never too late.

— Robin Gaudette is the aquatics wellness coordinator at the Redmond Area Park and Recreation District. Contact her at robin.gaudette@raprd.org.