Reducing cardiovascular risk should be the goal for anyone suffering from high blood pressure.
Clinical studies have shown that doing High-Resistance Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) may reduce systolic blood pressure by 16mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 7mmHg.
Colorado University research shows that working out just five minutes daily via a practice described as “strength training for your breathing muscles” lowers blood pressure and improves some measures of vascular health even more than aerobic exercise or medication.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, provides the most substantial evidence that the ultra-time-efficient maneuver known as High-Resistance Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) could play a key role in helping aging adults fend off cardiovascular disease––in the nation’s leading killer.
The studies attribute the reduction in blood pressure to the increased parasympathetic tone associated with respiratory muscle training.
Here is how to incorporate this fantastic BP-lowering exercise.
1: Purchase a device called BreatheEasy Lung Exerciser (https://4breatheeasy.com). The cost is approximately $30.00.
2: Perform 30 inhalations at 75 percent maximum inspiratory pressure six days a week.
3: IMST can be done in five minutes in your own home while you watch TV.
Conclusion
Adding this super simple High-Resistance Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training (IMST) could be a game-changer in improving cardiovascular health and reducing blood pressure.
References
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33630377/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29178489/
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.121.020980
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210630135033.htm
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00024.2020
https://www.colorado.edu/today/2019/02/25/novel-workout-improves-health
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/breath-training-may-lower-blood-pressure