Cardiologists including Dr. Joseph Ebinger of the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai in the United States recommend maintaining at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week to manage blood pressure, in the form of brisk walking for 30 minutes a day, five times a week. They cited evidence that sustaining such a walking habit for three months can lower systolic blood pressure in hypertension patients by up to 8 mmHg.
Dr. Solomon Bienstock, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in the United States, said, "The strongest scientific evidence is for moderate-intensity walking," explaining that "you can use walking at a brisk pace, like when you have an urgent appointment, for 20 to 40 minutes at a time as your standard." Speaking to the health outlet Health, Dr. Ebinger also said, "What matters more than the specific conditions of how you walk is the act of getting up and moving itself," adding that "any form of it is better than not walking at all." The pace both experts commonly recommend is a somewhat hurried level, covering a distance of about 4.8 km, or 1.6 km, in 20 minutes.
For the same total amount of exercise, dividing walking into several sessions may be more effective for improving blood pressure than doing it all at once. According to a paper published by a research team at a Brazilian medical school in March this year, blood pressure reduction was greater with exercise spread across four days a week than with intensive exercise twice a week, even when the weekly total was the same 150 minutes. However, the research team added that larger follow-up studies are needed to verify the long-term effects in hypertension patients.
It takes some time for the effects to appear. Dr. Ebinger said, "It usually takes about three months after starting to walk for changes in blood pressure to occur." Based on research data, Dr. Bienstock said, "Walking consistently for three months can lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure," adding that "in hypertension patients, systolic blood pressure may decrease by 4 to 8 mmHg." Beyond blood pressure, walking can contribute in a combined way to weight control, improving cholesterol levels, and blood sugar management.
However, the effects disappear when the habit stops. Rather than ending it as temporary exercise, continuously integrating it into daily life is key to blood pressure management. Hypertension patients should not stop their prescribed medication on their own even after starting to walk. Those experiencing chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or dizziness, or whose blood pressure is not stably controlled, must consult a medical professional before exercising.
