Exercise has long been associated with heart health. Walk, run, swim, bike or lift on a regular basis and your risk of heart disease and stroke decreases dramatically. The rewards are almost instantaneous with a drop in blood pressure notable when you swap out time on the couch for time in the gym. That’s good news for anyone with high blood pressure, which increases the chances of adverse cardiac events.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada says about one in four Canadians have been diagnosed with hypertension. That number increases in an older demographic to 51 per cent in Canadians 60-79 years of age. 

In most cases, exercise is considered safe for anyone who is effectively managing their blood pressure through medication or changes to their lifestyle. But it’s common for health-care professionals, including many organizations like the European Society of Hypertension, American College of Cardiology and the International Society of Hypertension, to advise keeping intensity in the moderate range to avoid the added cardiac stress associated with high intensity aerobic exercise. But the science related to the risk of hypertension and physical activity was largely informed by self-reported data that, when it comes to exercise, is unreliable. Not only do people routinely fudge how often they exercise, when it comes to intensity of effort there........

© Montreal Gazette