Research has revealed that just 5 minutes of exercise per day can reduce the risk of heart disease by about 10%. Experts suggest adding activities to your daily routine like climbing stairs and riding a bike, regardless of your physical fitness level, to help lower blood pressure. A new study found that simple activities such as cycling to the store or taking the stairs can lead to improvements in blood pressure by adding just five minutes to our daily lives. High blood pressure affects 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is one of the leading causes of premature death. High blood pressure, often described as a silent killer due to its lack of symptoms, can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage, and many other health issues.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the University of Sydney investigated the effects of daily movement on blood pressure. Throughout the study, activity trackers were worn by approximately 15,000 people for 24 hours, and it was observed that just five minutes of extra exercise resulted in improvements in blood pressure. Experts emphasized that even short movements like climbing stairs or biking somewhere during the day lead to a significant decrease in blood pressure. The findings of the study funded by the British Heart Foundation were published in the Circulation journal.
Dr. Jo Blodgett from UCL stated, “We demonstrated that exercise is the most effective way to lower blood pressure, rather than less strenuous movements like walking.” It was noted that regardless of your physical fitness level, creating a positive impact on blood pressure does not take long. Dr. Jo Blodgett said, “Our unique exercise variable includes all exercise-like activities, from climbing stairs to a short bike ride, and most of these can be integrated into daily routines.” Research indicated that an additional five minutes of exercise can reduce systolic blood pressure by 0.68 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 0.54 mmHg, equivalent to about a 10% reduction in the risk of heart disease. Co-senior author of the study, Prof. Emmanuel Stamatakis, stated, “Adding just five minutes of extra exercise per day shows to be a powerful tool in managing high blood pressure.”