Invigorate lifestyle to lower your blood pressure

You probably already know that exercise helps control high blood pressure (HBP). What you may not know is that you don't have to go to the gym to do it. You just have to rake some leaves or go for a walk.

Research in the August 2005 issue of the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that small bursts of so-called "lifestyle" activities work just as well as structured cardiovascular exercise at lowering HBP.

Study participants engaged in raking, walking, and other home and gardening activities over a 12-hour period. The subjects also spent another 12 hours without any physical activity.
Adding physical activity reduced systolic blood pressure by 6.6 points on average among those with blood pressure ranging from 120–139/80–89 mm Hg and by 12.9 points among adults with hypertension (higher than 140/90 mm Hg). Better still, blood pressures stayed low for up to eight hours after the physical activity.

Adding lifestyle exercise may not completely eliminate the need for medication. But it could lower the dosage or frequency. Be sure to talk to your doctor before adding any exercise to your daily activities.