High Blood Pressure?

[Bob Sanders]

Does Handstands cause High Blood Pressure? I got my yearly physical yesterday and my doctor said I had high blood pressure. I don't remember exactly but I think it was something like 136 to 80. Now I am only 15. It could be my eating habit and stress caused by this summer's craziness. I am not at my best this summer. But could handstand have spiked my blood pressure? I'm kinda scared now.

[Gregor]

1. No.

2. Your blood pressure is ok. High pressure 110-140 and low should be 60-90.

[Coach Sommer]

Handstand work will not affect your resting blood pressure. For the vast majority of the population, high blood pressure is simply diet related.

Easy ways to reduce your blood pressure:

1) reduce the amount of salt in your diet.

2) reduce the amount of grains or grain-based products in your diet. Grain-based products include, but are not limited to; bread, rice, noodles, cakes and pastries etc.

Yours in Fitness,

Coach Sommer

[Ryan Libke]

There is no reason to be scared. With those numbers, it could have been a cup of coffee or nervousness at being tested. I don't understand those numbers to classify as hypertensive. There is a term called "pre-hypertension" when the first number floats in the 130's, but nothing is usually done. Apart from diet, exercise, and lifestyle, hypertension and pre-hypertension are some times hard to explain. My wife and I eat the same things, yet I often measured pre-hypertensive, and my wife lower than average. My cholesterol is low, hers is high. Go figure. Its a good idea, for everyone, to keep an eye on the readings, but there really is no reason to worry. I also take solace in the fact that there is good treatment options available, too, as I have a family history of hypertension.

[Bob Sanders]

I don't remember if those are the correct numbers or close to it. But I remember my doctor saying that my Blood Pressure is high and he check me twice after the first time. And he compared my stats in the past 3 years and they were fine. I don't know what the reason is but I'm glad it's not the hand stand because I read some where that someone said: the handstand push up might raise my high blood pressure. Probably is my diet. Man have I let myself go this year. I hope my gymnastic goals will help motivate me once again to eat clean. Thanks guys for your insights.

[braindx]

Half the time people use the wrong size cuff which throws off the numbers. Just putting this out there...