Exercises Like Planks, Wall Sits Work Best to Help Lower Blood Pressure

The Single BEST Exercise to Lower Blood Pressure!

• New research found that strength training exercises can be more effective at lowering blood pressure compared to other styles of exercise.1
• Isometric movements, like wall sits and planks, were noted as the best form of strength training to lower blood pressure.
• Experts recommend creating a sustainable exercise routine that includes both aerobic exercises and strength training in order to see the most benefits.

Strength training is more effective at lowering blood pressure than other styles of exercise, a new study finds.1

It has long been known that exercise can help reduce blood pressure, and can be an important component of managing hypertension. However, most research has focused on the benefits of aerobic exercise—like walking and running—to reduce blood pressure.

But, it’s not just cardio workouts that can be helpful for blood pressure management.

A new study, published in July in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that strength training exercises are more effective at lowering blood pressure than other forms of exercise.

The new research suggests that strength exercises, particularly those considered isometric exercises like planks and wall sits are better at lowering blood pressure than other types of exercises.1

“Isometric exercises increase the heart rate, lower cardiac output, and alter systemic vascular resistance via various musculoskeletal receptors,” said Nitin Bhatnagar, DO, a cardiologist, human behavioral specialist, CrossFit coach, and life architect at Hampden and Franklin County Cardiovascular Associates in Massachusetts.

He explained that, over time, this conditions the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure.

“This gives further proof that exercise is a critical component of controlling our blood pressure, in addition to medication if that is what is recommended by your doctor,” said Lance LaMotte, MD, FACC, a structural and interventional cardiologist and the owner of TITLE Boxing Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

GETTY IMAGES / OSCAR WONG

The Limitations of the Study

LaMotte noted that since the new research is a meta-analysis (an analysis of several trials), there is room for critique of the certainty of the findings. “As licensed practitioners, we rely on meta-analyses a little less for absolute results,” he said.

Exercise Reduces the Stiffness of Blood Vessels, Which Lowers Blood Pressure

From a broad perspective, exercise helps blood pressure by reducing the stiffness of the blood vessels. This makes the blood vessels more “compliant” or extensible and able to dilate or widen, making more “room” for blood to flow through.

This decreases the pressure exerted by the blood on the arterial walls.

Bhatnagar explained that blood vessels have three layers of tissue that comprise the walls of the vessels. The innermost layer is known as the endothelial layer; exercise has been shown to influence the activity of the endothelium.

The endothelial cells release nitric oxide, which helps widen the blood vessels.

“[Nitric oxide] also relaxes the artery wall’s smooth muscle cells, preventing spasms, and keeps the vessels patent,” Bhatnagar said. “Regular exercise helps the arteries by increasing nitric oxide production.”

He explained that because of the widening of the blood vessels, blood pressure is lowered.

Consistent exercise also helps lower blood pressure because of how it strengthens the heart muscle, Bhatnagar added. This allows the heart to pump blood more efficiently, which reduces stress on the blood vessels.

What Is a Healthy Blood Pressure in Adults?

According to the American Heart Association, a blood pressure reading below 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) is considered within the normal range for a healthy adult.2

Most People Don't Know What a Normal or Healthy Blood Pressure Is, Study Shows

Creating a Balanced Exercise Routine for Blood Pressure

Even though the new research points to the benefits of strength training for blood pressure, Bhatnagar clarified that it’s important for an exercise routine to include all forms of exercise in order to provide a full range of benefits to the body.

“Strength training is just as crucial as aerobic training, which is equally vital to yoga and stretching,” he said. “Each discipline plays a role in the body’s development and conditioning to balance strength, endurance, stamina, coordination, flexibility, speed, agility, and functionality.”

Ultimately, it’s important to find a sustainable exercise routine that you can stick with—that’s when you’ll start to see results.

“The most important thing is to find an exercise that you are going to do at least 3 or 4 times a week,”Allan Stewart, MD, a cardiologist and the chairman of surgery and medical director of the Cardiovascular Institute at HCA Florida told Health. “If you are someone that doesn’t like strength exercises, and likes to, say, swim, walk, or hike, those are fine as well.”

LaMotte agreed that liking the kind of exercise you’re doing will help with consistency, which is, in his opinion, more important than choosing a specific kind of physical activity.

“Make sure you choose something that you enjoy doing and can commit to long-term,” he said. “That’s where I see people fall off—when they choose an activity they can’t adhere to.”

That said, Stewart, LaMotte, and Bhatnagar agree that you certainly shouldn’t negate strength training.

“The reason why we have joint, posture problems, and disc disease is because we’re not doing strength training over time,” Stewart said. “Strength training will lead to better posture and a lower heart rate. It will also decrease stress, decrease arthritis, improve posture, and decrease spinal disease, among the many benefits.”

Before you begin any exercise program, particularly if you struggle with high blood pressure, Stewart noted that it’s important to speak to a healthcare professional.

But, once you’ve decided on the right exercise path for you, it can yield impactful results.

“We are far better off with exercise than blood pressure medicine,” said Stewart. “It’s not to say there aren’t people who need it, but [focus on] controlling your diet, controlling your stress, getting proper sleep and exercise.”

By Amber Sayer   Fact checked by 

Nick Blackmer 

Best Exercises to Lower Blood Pressure

13 Effective Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure\

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Sack Anyone Who Doesn’t Perform

Sack anyone who doesn’t perform – PM and other ministers should learn from Tiong

Minister gets brickbats and bouquets

Sack Anyone Who Doesn’t Perform – PM Anwar And Other Lame Ministers Should Learn From Badass Tiong - FINANCE TWITTER February 25th, 2024

With 35 years experience under his belt in the public service, Dr Ammar Abdul Ghapar was one of Malaysia’s 1.7 million lucky bloated civil servants. Untouchable due to his skin colour, he was promoted as the new director general of Tourism Malaysia on April 12, 2023. But he mistook his promotion as recognition of his talent and brilliance. The little Napoleon soon became big-headed.

When the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture – Tiong King Sing – suddenly terminated his service in a letter dated February 22, 2024, removing him effective February 26, he was shocked, angry and humiliated. Never in the history of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board had its director-general been removed in such a fashion. How dare Tiong removed him, supposedly an untouchable Malay?

Backing Ammar was Sri Ganesh Michiel, the clueless secretary-general of the Malaysian Tourism Federation (MTF) who demanded an explanation for the termination. Sri Ganesh argued that Ammar was a highly experienced industry professional with 36-year experience. Ammar shed crocodile tears, pretended to be lost about his termination, leading to rumours that he had been fired.

The termination letter went viral on social media, sparking another round of racist issue in a country that has seen the rise of extremism and racism. Opposition Perikatan Nasional, banking on Malay nationalism and Islamic radicalization for votes, appears to suggest that the fiasco was due to the major group Malay being bullied by the minority ethnic Chinese.

But Mr Tiong did not care about his subordinate’s skin colour. In fact, the minister was well prepared to spill the beans. As it turned out, director-general of Tourism Malaysia was not sacked, but merely demoted. And the reason he was demoted to deputy director-general (planning division) was due to his underperformance. The best part was Tiong managed to spare some time insulting Ammar’s qualifications.

The Minister of Tourism told media – “Since he couldn’t perform well, I decided that whoever is capable should take on the role, and if someone is incapable, step down to give others an opportunity. I don’t know if he lacked ideas or was unsure how to implement them. But if one cannot deliver results, a change is necessary. I didn’t terminate his employment; I simply reassigned him.”

Insulting Ammar’s over-rated qualification, Tiong said – “When the former director-general retired (Zainuddin Abdul Wahab), Ammar was not the ministry’s top suggestion. Still, I gave him an opportunity due to his PhD in tourism. Unfortunately, his performance did not reflect the qualifications of a PhD. This has nothing to do with race or religion. Let’s not play around with issues of race and religion.”

Graduated with a Doctorate of Philosophy in Hotel and Tourism Management and a Master of Business Administration from Universiti Teknologi MARA, Dr Ammar should be ashamed that he has given a bad name to his alma mater. Like it or not, it also speaks volumes about the quality of the university, which ranked #555 in QS World University Rankings 2024.

To justify how he had lost hope in the director-general, Tiong said that both he and his deputy, Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan, provided extensive advice to Ammar and sought input from him. However, like most civil servants infamous for inefficiency, low productivity, yet arrogant, the chief of Tourism Malaysia ignored all the advice and instruction as he thought he knew best.

 

Ammar’s defiance and lack of engagement with respective stakeholders to aggressively boost tourism was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. Tiong said – “Thailand can get 10 million tourists annually from China alone. We only receive 2 million Chinese tourists at most. I set a target of 5 million Chinese tourists, but he deemed it impractical and proposed lowering the target to 3 million.”

However, only 1.5 million Chinese visitors were recorded last year, meeting just half of the newly demoted Tourism Malaysia director-general’s own target. As a result, Tiong King Sing could not wait till Ammar’s retirement in March 2025 to terminate him. If indeed the tourism minister had wrongly or discriminately cut short his service, Ammar should have sued Tiong.

 

Instead, Ammar said – “I have no intention of going against any directive or instructions given to me, but I feel very frustrated and sad. I think that after serving for 36 years, I should not be treated this way”. Clearly, he believes that he should be allowed to keep his cushy job till his retirement as traditionally practiced by the incompetent Malaysian government, even though it means wasting taxpayers’ money on non-performing officials.

Despite the opposition’s attempt to politicise the issue using racial and religious cards, Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali admits that the Minister of Tourism has the power and authority to hire and fire because the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board is just another division under the ministry. Even Ammar’s colleagues on the board of directors of Tourism Malaysia supported his termination.

Despicable Dr Ammar Abdul Ghapar should be grateful that his boss did not sack him. Unlike Chinese ministers from Malaya (West Malaysia), who would think thrice about criticising useless and clueless senior government servants (more than 95% are Malays), let alone terminating their service, Tiong King Sing is from Borneo Sarawak (East Malaysia).

Arguably, Tiong is the only minister of Chinese ethnicity who dares to call a spade a spade. A member of GPS (Gabungan Parti Sarawak), the largest ruling party in Sarawak that holds the trump card in Anwar-led Unity Government, he does not need to appease anyone. Extremely rich, the 62-year-old politician and businessman is a classic example of a competent lawmaker desperately needed in the country.

To be effective and efficient, he shows Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, whose bloated cabinet has been expanded to 60 ministers and deputies after a reshuffle in December 2023, how the civil servants should be dealt with if they do not perform. Instead of pussyfooting and rewarding everyone just to become popular, including dead wood, the prime minister should learn from Mr Tiong.

The termination of Mr Ammar reflects a Chinese proverb – kill one to warn a hundred – that basically means to punish an individual as an example to others. Like the jailing of crooked former Prime Minister Najib Razak, the demotion of the director-general of Tourism Malaysia will set an example to the civil service that they are not untouchable, and can be punished if they sleep on the job.

Not only the speed of the job termination, which caught the little Napoleon with his pants down, is both admirable and inspiring, the decisiveness of the minister is precisely what investors – both foreign and domestic – have been looking for in the Anwar administration. The PM should decisively do what is necessary to reform the ailing country from decades-old structural problems.

 

Accountability and meritocracy are some of the missing pieces in the government and civil service, which led to widespread corruption and inferior standard. Instead of being held ransom by the underperforming civil servants, the government should terminate anyone who refuses to work together and promote those who can contribute to the country. Obviously, Ammar isn’t the only director-general who was paid without doing work.

Tiong King Sing is the same badass minister who rushed to the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) in June 2023 in an attempt to help a traveller from China. Initially, he was reportedly barged into the restricted zone without a permit to free a Chinese national – a personal assistant of a senior official of a Chinese government-owned TV station who had arrived in Malaysia to pursue her PhD at a local university.


As it turned out, not only all Cabinet members have security passes which allow them to enter restricted areas at the KLIA, but the pro-active action of the tourism minister had exposed how the notorious immigration department solicited bribery in broad daylight. It was not true that he had breached security protocols, let alone bullied the immigration into freeing the Chinese traveller.

It was a standard modus operandi by the corrupt Immigration Department to solicit money from foreign travellers. In order to gain entry, a “three-star” ranking immigration officer demanded RM3,000 bribes from the Chinese woman. Stunningly, the female tourist was also asked an additional RM3,000 if she wanted to return to the country of origin or re-enter Malaysia using a “special lane”, and RM12,000 for visa-processing fees.

She needs to pay a whopping RM18,000 to gain entry into Malaysia as well as to return to China, without which she could be detained indefinitely – an intimidation and bullying tactic. Not only corruption had been committed, the cellphones of the women were seized by the immigration officers. Hilariously, after caught with its pants down, the immigration officers told Minister Tiong that the matter was a misunderstanding due to language barrier.

Rather than keeping quiet in order not to spook Malay voters, PM Anwar should decisively capitalize on the demotion of Ammar to promote accountability, efficiency, meritocracy and competency among the civil servants.-  Finance Twitter:

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Unlocking the nation’s ‘brain bank’

Unlocking the nation’s ‘brain bank’

Greener pastures: Among reasons why Malaysians opt to work in Singapore are enhanced job prospects, attractive salaries and advantageous exchange rates for the Singapore dollar. — THOMAS YONG/The Star

‘Rethink strategy to entice skilled talents to come back’

 PETALING JAYA: The country should set up a comprehensive registry of Malaysians working abroad, say human resources experts.

They said this can be done by using big data so that the government can formulate strategies for better “brain circulation” to lure our skilled workers into either returning home or contributing to the economy.

National Association of Human Resources Malaysia (Pusma) president Zarina Ismail said Talent Corporation Malaysia Bhd (TalentCorp), an agency under the Human Resources Ministry, should maintain a database of Malaysian professionals abroad.

“They can collaborate with embassies or high commissions for the most updated information and figures, so that we keep track of how many Malaysians are out there and what their expertise is.

“This should include Malaysians who went abroad for career prospects and who may have not been kept track of before this.“TalentCorp and the ministry should do more to help Malaysia turn the brain drain into brain circulation, which is doable,” she said in an interview yesterday.

The term “brain circulation” was bandied about in a statement by the Statistics Department last week.

According to the department, the nation must reframe the “brain drain narrative” and transform it into “brain circulation” in which the Malaysian diaspora will “eventually return to Malaysia after a predetermined period, thereby contributing the valuable expertise and experiences they acquired (overseas) back to the country”.For the short term, Zarina said Malaysian employers should use expatriates in the country to train locals to be on par with field experts.

“Make them train our local workforce and utilise their expertise since we have them here now so that the trained ones can become experts later and train future talent.

“We should also limit service terms for expatriates so that trained successors get an opportunity to perform and have hands-on experience for the job.”

Acknowledging that talent cannot be stopped from looking for better pay and opportunities abroad, Zarina said Malaysia should focus on strengthening its workforce with better career prospects and benefits.

“We have many people who are willing to work, such as women who want to take up welding jobs. We should identify those who want to work and train them.”

The emphasis should be on how to harness these workers’ capacity and skills in a productive way, she added.

National Council of Professors fellow Dr Syed Alwee Alsagoff said Malaysia has a hidden asset in the form of a “brain bank” consisting of a network of academic professionals abroad to plug the talent gap.

“This ‘brain bank’ represents knowledge, experience and global connections.

“By engaging this bank effectively, Malaysia can unlock a powerful tool for development and innovation,” he said.Syed Alwee said diaspora academicians can help Malaysia revolutionise its education by having world researchers injecting international experience into local universities.

Other ways, he added, include modernising research collaboration and innovation in a knowledge-based economy and creating a wellspring of fresh ideas, tackling issues from climate change to healthcare.

“These ‘academic ambassadors’ could bridge the gap between Malaysia and the world.”The diaspora, he said, can become a bridge to the world, boosting Malaysia’s global standing.

He added that engaging the diaspora is not just about tapping into existing talent but about strengthening connections.“Imagine ongoing collaboration, continued contributions and even potential future repatriation.

“By fostering these relationships, Malaysia can ensure a continuous flow of knowledge and talent, turning the ‘brain drain’ into a ‘brain gain’,” he said.

Syed Alwee said the key is engagement and connecting diaspora academicians with local professionals.

“We should transform isolated experts into a powerful collaborative force. Knowledge transfer programmes can link international academics with local professionals, sparking innovation and capacity-building.

“This ‘brain circulation’ fuels the ecosystem further.

“Short-term collaboration, seminars and guest lectureships act as bridges, injecting fresh ideas and perspectives into the local academic scene, keeping it dynamic and responsive.

“Malaysia’s brain drain might hold the key to unlocking its brain bank,” he added.

By engaging its vast academic diaspora, Syed Alwee said the nation can transform challenges into opportunities, thus moving towards a brighter future.

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China zooms ahead in space race - Advancement of China’s space programme is serving as a wake-up call for the US

;China Just Won the Space Race Against America...NASA is in Shock!

China Space Station Tian Gong is now complete and China is in a position to dominate the future of space and replace America as the number one space nation in the world. But how did this happen? How did China become a supreme space nation? Let's break it down

A staff member stands before a Long March-2F carrier rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft, on the launch pad encased in a shield at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi desert in northwest China on Oct. 25, 2023. — AFP

SHORTLY after New Year’s Day in 2019, China landed an unmanned spacecraft on the far side of the moon, where no mission had gone before. United States intelligence officials say they did so quietly, taking their time to verify the rover had landed in one piece and protecting themselves from embarrassment. Hours passed before Beijing announced its historic achievement to the world.

The landing was a wake-up call in Washington. China’s space program was advancing with unexpected speed. Beijing would soon assemble in record time a space station orbiting Earth, catching US officials off guard once again.

US intelligence officials acknowledge that China’s sudden advances had surprised them. They are no longer surprised. The intelligence community now assesses with confidence that China is poised to succeed in landing humans on the moon and constructing a permanent base camp at the lunar south pole by the end of this decade, four intelligence officials said, just as American space agency Nasa has fallen behind its own deadlines to achieve similar milestones.

It is the first time intelligence officials have publicly detailed their concerns that China may win the race to return people to the moon and establish a lunar outpost – an achievement that could set back US plans for human space travel for decades to come.

“It wasn’t too long ago that China said they were intending to land by 2035. So that date keeps getting closer and closer,” Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said in an interview. “I take it very seriously that China, in fact, is in a headlong race to get to the moon.”

Neither country plans to stop at the moon. Both see it as a training ground for missions to Mars in the 2030s, vying to make history by sending humans deep into space and landing them for the first time on another planet.

“Before, it was more of an afterthought – China was nowhere to be seen,” one US intelligence official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters. “Today, China gets the lion’s share of intelligence attention.”

A second US intelligence official said “space is very evident to China as a place they need to counter US power.”

“They don’t want to be the space power of the 2020s,” the official added. “They want to be the space power of the 21st century, the way we were in the 20th.”

More than half a century after the US put men on the moon, a space race is on for the new millennium. The first great competition of world powers since the end of the Cold War is spurring a new era of exploration that could send humans on missions far beyond those of the Apollo program 50 years ago.

But if the original space race with the Soviet Union was a sprint, this new competition with China is going to be a marathon.

“The United States will continue to lead the world,” Vice President Kamala Harris, who also serves as director of the National Space Council, said in a statement. “Our unrivaled network of allies and partners will power our deep space exploration, inspire the next generation of explorers, and will ensure that advancements in space benefit all of humanity.”

At Nasa, all of these goals are linked, forming a “ Moon to Mars Architecture” that is breaking modern precedent in Washington for space initiatives with sustained support and funding from consecutive Republican and Democratic administrations.

“Is China a catalyst? It should be. Chinese ambitions for both the moon and Mars should be taken very seriously,” said Dean Cheng, senior adviser to the China program at the US Institute of Peace. “Because from their perspective, it’s not just about planting a flag. There’s a whole freight train worth of baggage and meaning associated with both of these missions.”

“This is to establish presence,” Cheng said, “but then to establish the rules.”

Competition is already inching toward conflict closer to home. Since landing a rover on the far side of the moon, China has more than doubled its number of satellites orbiting Earth, and has launched a space plane that remained in low-Earth orbit for several months before ascending and releasing a projectile, defense officials said. Beijing is already fielding weapons in space, including electronic and cyberspace equipment, but also devices that can stalk and latch on to satellites to disrupt their orbit.

Nelson expressed concern that China may reach its lunar milestones first – a development that could allow Beijing to monopolize resources critical to a sustained presence on the surface, such as frozen water hiding in crevices of permanent darkness, and solar energy from mountain peaks bathed in eternal sunlight.

“If China were to land and begin an outpost there, I think it would be a Sputnik moment for the American people,” said G Scott Hubbard, Nasa’s first Mars czar and former director of the Ames Research Center at Nasa who now chairs SpaceX’s crew safety advisory panel. “They could claim it as their own.”

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said in a statement that “outer space is not a wrestling ground, but an important field for win-win cooperation. The exploration and peaceful uses of outer space is humanity’s common endeavor and should benefit all.”

Senior officials in the Biden administration said that China’s program could be the motivation the US needs to reestablish the wonder and drive of spaceflight that once captured the American imagination. “There are positive aspects to competition,” one official said, adding, “one person’s pressure is another person’s inspiration.”

Beijing surprised Washington once again last May, when its military-run Manned Space Agency held a press conference ostensibly to deliver a routine announcement.

Agency officials were introducing three new Chinese astronauts who would depart for China’s Tiangong Space Station the following day – part of a steady cadence of new crew members being sent into orbit every six months, an impressive achievement in and of itself. Then officials added that Beijing intends to land humans on the moon by 2030, moving their timeline up by years.

China’s Academy of Military Sciences has previously said that space “has already become a new domain of modern military struggle.” Neither the China National Space Administration nor the China Manned Space Agency responded to multiple email requests for comment.

China’s public plan is to use robots to scout the south pole for lunar water in 2026 and begin establishing its base there, to be called the International Lunar Research Station, in 2028. Beijing aims to complete a new Long March 10 rocket system for its crewed missions by 2027.

US intelligence officials say it would be “high risk” for the Chinese to attempt their first human landing at the south pole, but also believe Beijing will try to distinguish their first landing from Apollo.

“If there is a prestige goal,” one intelligence official said, “it is the south pole of the moon.” — TNS

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