Experts have discovered that merely adding five minutes of activity to your daily routine could significantly lower your blood pressure and safeguard your heart. A recent study has shown that even a small increase in physical exercise can greatly improve cardiovascular health.

The good news is, it doesn’t have to be high-intensity workouts; simple activities like climbing stairs or brisk walking can also provide protective benefits. . The study, published in the journal Circulation, was conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney and University College London. They analysed data from over 14,000 volunteers across five countries.

Participants were equipped with monitoring devices on their legs to track their movements over 24 hours, categorised into six types: sleep, sedentary activity, standing, slow walking, fast walking, and exercise-like activities such as running or cycling. Blood pressure readings were also taken, with adjustments made for those on blood pressure medication.

The study concluded that minor increases in exercise-like activities – just an additional five minutes per day – were linked to lower blood pressure, irrespective of what activity it replaced. A mere five minutes of exercise resulted in a slight decrease in blood pressure (about 0.68 mm/Hg systolic and 0.54 mm/Hg diastolic). As expected, more sedentary time correlated with higher blood pressure.

However, the study also found that increased sleep duration was linked to lower blood pressure. Larger shifts in time allocation, such as substituting 20 to 27 minutes of other activities with physical exercise, resulted in even more significant reductions in blood pressure.

The intensity of the physical activity also mattered, with more vigorous exercises leading to greater reductions. The researchers estimated that this minor increase in physical activity could decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 28 percent.

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis, director of the ProPASS Consortium which carried out the study, stated in a press release: “High blood pressure is one of the biggest health issues globally, but unlike some major causes of cardiovascular mortality there may be relatively accessible ways to tackle the problem in addition to medication.”

Even if traditional workouts aren’t your thing, the researchers suggest that incidental exercise like taking the stairs or briskly walking to the shop can make a significant difference. Dr Jo Blodgett from UCL, the study’s first author, said: “Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking.

“The good news is that whatever your physical ability, it doesn’t take long to have a positive effect on blood pressure. What’s unique about our exercise variable is that it includes all exercise-like activities, from running for a bus or a short cycling errand, many of which can be integrated into daily routines. Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key to reducing blood pressure, rather than less strenuous forms of movement such as walking.”

To reduce your blood pressure, the NHS recommends you:.

• Have a healthy, balanced diet
• Exercise regularly – aim to do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week
• Lose weight if you’re overweight
• Do not eat too much salt – avoid salty food or adding salt to your meals
• Do not drink too much alcohol – avoid drinking more than 14 alcohol units a week on a regular basis
• Do not drink too much caffeine – drinks high in caffeine include coffee, tea and cola
• Do not smoke.

If you have concerns about your blood pressure, it’s advisable to consult with your GP.

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