Just five more minutes of exercise might seem like a small commitment, but it could have a big impact on your blood pressure, according to a new study.
“Incorporating even a few minutes of higher-intensity physical activities like brisk walking or cycling into your daily routine can make a noticeable difference in blood pressure levels,” said Dr. Jo Blodgett, senior research fellow at the Institute of Sport, Exercise & Health at University College London and the study’s lead author.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 15,000 participants who wore activity monitors and had their blood pressure tracked, as reported in a study published Wednesday in Circulation.
The day’s activities were categorized into six types: sleep, sedentary behavior, slow walking, fast walking, standing, and more vigorous exercise.
The researchers used this data to assess the impact of replacing sedentary time with more active periods.
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Even as little as five extra minutes of exercise each day was associated with lower blood pressure.
A modest increase of 10 to 20 minutes was linked to a clinically meaningful reduction in blood pressure (a drop of 2mmHg in systolic or 1mmHg in diastolic pressure), according to Blodgett.
Clinically meaningful changes in blood pressure can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, noted Dr. Susan Cheng, a cardiology professor at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who was not involved in the study.
“The study provides valuable insights into how small changes in physical activity, despite the general sedentary nature of our daily lives, can lead to significant improvements in health,” she said.
Previous studies have consistently shown that increased physical activity is linked to more optimal blood pressure levels, Cheng added.
What makes this study unique is its focus on real-life habits rather than controlled exercise programs, said Dr. Mark Hamer, professor of sport and exercise medicine at University College London and coauthor of the study.
“These types of studies are difficult because, while they help lower blood pressure, people often return to sedentary behaviors once the program ends,” he explained.
The study also highlighted how sedentary most people are.
According to Cheng, the average middle-aged adult spends around 11 hours a day sitting, with about 3 hours standing, 1-2 hours walking slowly, and roughly an hour walking briskly.
On average, only 15-16 minutes a day are spent engaging in higher-intensity activities.
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While the study is observational and can only show correlations, the findings are compelling enough to suggest that even small increases in daily exercise can have a positive impact on cardiovascular health, Cheng said.
There was also some evidence that sedentary time may be more detrimental to women’s blood pressure than men’s.
However, replacing sedentary time with non-exercise activities like sleep, standing, or slow walking showed little to no benefit, Blodgett added.
“Reallocating time to these low-intensity activities doesn’t have a significant impact on blood pressure,” she said. “For more meaningful results, it’s better to replace sedentary time with a small amount of higher-intensity activity each day.”
Dr. Shaan Khurshid, a cardiac electrophysiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, recommends exercise that leaves you breathless to the point where it’s hard to speak in full sentences.
The good news is that even those with the least amount of physical activity saw the biggest improvement, so you can start small and gradually build up. “If you’re currently doing little or no high-intensity activity, aim to increase by 5 minutes a day and build from there,” Blodgett advised.
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