Easily Lower Your Blood Pressure in 10 Minutes?

Here is the BTN (Better Than Nothing) workout.

I shared this workout with a life-long friend. It lowered her blood pressure, and she asked me to promise to promote it widely. So I offer it to you.

It’s the BTN (Better Than Nothing) workout.

The older I get, the more people laugh at the Better Than Nothing workout. I guess when an old lady (me) says, “better than nothing,” they think it means, “Oh, just walk slowly for 3 minutes on the treadmill. It’s better than nothing.”

That is not better than nothing. It’s nothing.

So what do I mean?

Well, feeling you have no time is the problem, so keep the workout short. I suggest between 10 and 12 minutes.

But! It needs to be physiologically meaningful. That’s where intensity enters.

Recent research shows that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can be more effective than longer, slower workouts.

Here’s a Sample Workout for 10 Minutes

Select your favorite cardio machine. I have easy access to a Stairmaster and an indoor bike, so I use those for BTN. You can also use a treadmill, an elliptical trainer, an outdoor bike, or a good pair of running shoes.

Start with a warm-up of 3 minutes: 1 minute easy, 1 minute a little harder, 1 minute a little harder.

Now start your intervals. The interval will include work time and recovery time so that each interval adds up to 1 minute.

Beginner: 20 seconds of work plus 40 seconds of recovery

Intermediate: 30 seconds of work plus 30 seconds of recovery

Advanced: 40 seconds of work plus 20 seconds of recovery

Do 6 of these 1-minute intervals. Cool down for 1 minute. (Total: 10 minutes.)

How Hard Should the Intervals Be?

Increase both your resistance and your speed for the work part. The recovery is NOT a full stop, just an easing up of speed and resistance.

Ready or not, start each interval at the top of the minute.

Beginner: Work hard enough to leave you slightly out of breath. You’ll recover during the 40 seconds that follow.

Intermediate: Work hard enough that you’re still slightly out of breath when the next work interval begins.

Advanced: Work hard. Don’t expect true recovery in 20 seconds, just enough to let you go hard again. You’ll get a heart rate “stack” — your HR will keep building with each interval.

Cool down for that final minute, or even longer if necessary.

Will BTN Work for You?

It certainly worked for a client of mine. A busy veterinarian and a diabetic, he used 10-minute HIIT workouts 4 days a week. He loves to talk about his results. His fasting glucose dropped to “perfect,” his A1C was “perfect,” his blood pressure dropped to “perfect,” his cholesterol was “perfect,” and his weight decreased 38 pounds.

He also improved his nutrition, and the combination was magical.

BTN is a smart use of 10 minutes and an effective way to overcome that no-time-for-exercise problem. Whatever you’ve been doing (or not doing), try BTN and get after those goals!

For even more fitness and nutrition tips, just visit www.LastResortNutrition.com and grab your Empower Me Consult. Discover how easy it is to start feeling great quickly!

Brought to you by Dr. Joan Kent, best-selling author of Stronger Than Sugar: 7 Simple Steps to Defeat Sugar Addiction, Lift Your Mood, and Transform Your Health.