My blood pressure hasn't ever been really high but it did creep up to 120/__ (apologies as I don't rember the low number). What frustrated me was that all of the walking that I do (typically 45 minutes most M-F during lunch) and all of the biking that I was doing (averaging three 45 minute rides per week) wasn't doing anything to lower it.
I have ran some in the past, and after a mini-marathon passed my office a couple of months ago, I got the bug to try it again. I had no desire to do anything other than maybe a 5k or two this year. I've been running ~4 times/week for just 2-2.5 miles at a 10-11 minute/mile pace (slooow). While at Sam's Club after just three weeks of running, they opened up the DIY blood pressure machine and my BP was 106/__ (again, I wrongly have focused only on the top number). We checked mine later at home (my wife is an RN) and it measured 110/__. My diet is unchanged so it looks like the running is what has caused the drop.
Threads about high blood pressure seem to recur here, so I thought I'd share this observation about a protocol that isn't too taxing AND if you react similarly to me, you should know within ~three weeks if it's working or not. For the life of me, I can't understand why running would lower by blood pressure and biking wouldn't UNLESS it's the steady state benefit of running versus the interval-like training of biking due to the many hills near me.
I have ran some in the past, and after a mini-marathon passed my office a couple of months ago, I got the bug to try it again. I had no desire to do anything other than maybe a 5k or two this year. I've been running ~4 times/week for just 2-2.5 miles at a 10-11 minute/mile pace (slooow). While at Sam's Club after just three weeks of running, they opened up the DIY blood pressure machine and my BP was 106/__ (again, I wrongly have focused only on the top number). We checked mine later at home (my wife is an RN) and it measured 110/__. My diet is unchanged so it looks like the running is what has caused the drop.
Threads about high blood pressure seem to recur here, so I thought I'd share this observation about a protocol that isn't too taxing AND if you react similarly to me, you should know within ~three weeks if it's working or not. For the life of me, I can't understand why running would lower by blood pressure and biking wouldn't UNLESS it's the steady state benefit of running versus the interval-like training of biking due to the many hills near me.