How to lower your blood pressure with exercise

Published May 2024 | 5 min read
Expert contributors Timothy Douge, exercise physiologist at Exercise & Sports Science Australia; Professor Garry Jennings, chief medical officer at the Heart Foundation
Words by Angela Tufvesson

Exercise can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. Learn what type of exercise is most effective and how much you should be doing. 

If you’re one of the estimated four million Aussies with high blood pressure, you might be familiar with some of the practical lifestyle changes you can make to manage your condition: eating less salt, losing weight and not smoking, for example.

But did you know that exercise is one of the best things you can do for heart health?

“Your heart is like all your other muscles – when you put it under stress repeatedly, it adapts and gets more efficient,” explains exercise physiologist Timothy Douge from Exercise & Sports Science Australia.

Whether cardio or strength training, doing a high-intensity exercise class or taking a brisk walk, simply getting your heart rate up can push your blood pressure down.

How high blood pressure affects your health

Your heart works like a pump sending blood around your body and delivering oxygen and nutrients to help your organs and muscles work properly. Blood pressure is the pressure of your blood on the walls of your arteries and blood vessels as it gets pumped around your body.

Blood pressure is measured in units called millimetres of mercury (mmHg). The larger number on a blood pressure reading represents systolic blood pressure – the pressure in the arteries as the heart pumps out blood during each beat. The lower number, diastolic blood pressure, is the pressure as the heart relaxes before the next beat.

A normal blood pressure reading is about 120/80mmHg, according to cardiologist Professor Garry Jennings, chief medical officer at the Heart Foundation. But, he adds, “blood pressure varies minute by minute, day by day, second by second” depending on what you’re doing, and a healthy reading can vary from person to person in line with your medical history.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is when your blood pressure is permanently higher than normal. A reading of 140/90mmHg or higher is typically considered high blood pressure. Family history, smoking, being overweight, poor diet and lack of physical activity can all increase your risk.

Over time, high blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them harder, more narrow and less elastic, which reduces the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. There’s a clear link between high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease, says Prof Jennings, in particular, having a heart attack or stroke.

“High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for heart disease, along with tobacco smoking and high cholesterol,” says Prof Jennings. “It's the most important factor as far as stroke is concerned.”

The Heart Foundation recommends getting your blood pressure checked at least every two years by a doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you are above the age of 18. They will use a device called a sphygmomanometer, which has an inflatable rubber cuff that goes around the top half of your arm and is connected to a measuring unit.

Eligible HCF members^* in some states can access a free heart health check at certain times of the year, thanks to our partnership with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. The heart health checks look at your blood pressure, as well as your total cholesterol and blood glucose reading.

Does exercise lower blood pressure?

As well as eating well and maintaining a healthy weight, exercise can play an important role in helping to manage your blood pressure. Regular exercise makes your heart stronger, and a stronger heart can pump more blood with less effort. The force on your arteries decreases, which can lower high blood pressure.

“When you’re exercising, your blood pressure can increase in response to the extra demand for oxygen around the body and to remove carbon dioxide as you burn energy,” explains Timothy. “But over time, exercise helps to lower blood pressure naturally, because exercising and putting your heart under stress means that when you’re doing your normal day-to-day activities, it’s a lot less stressful for your cardiovascular system. It becomes a more steady and efficient system.”

How to lower blood pressure with exercise

In line with Australia’s physical activity and exercise guidelines, Prof Jennings and Timothy both recommend aiming for 150 minutes of exercise each week for heart health.

“It doesn't really matter how it's broken up – you could do a little every day or a bit more two or three times a week,” says Prof Jennings. “Any kind of exercise where you're starting to feel a little bit breathless but you can carry on a conversation – that's probably a reasonable amount to benefit your heart and blood vessels.”

If exercise hasn’t been a regular habit for you, it’s best to check with your doctor before starting a new routine. For many people, Timothy says starting with 30 or 60 minutes a week spread across one or two sessions can be a good approach.

“People who are least active have the most to gain by just doing a little bit,” he says. “If you're already doing some regular activity, there's no real need to increase that amount quite a lot. But if you're not doing anything, or you're doing a very little amount, even a small increase of any activity is going to be beneficial.”

What exercise is best for heart health?

A combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training can help to reduce blood pressure, says Prof Jennings.

“It used to be thought that aerobic exercise was best, but more recently studies have found isometric exercises also seem to have beneficial effects on blood pressure,” he says.

Isometric exercises, such as static squat holds and planks, involve holding a position while tensing your muscles and not moving for set periods of time.

New research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that looked at 270 trials carried out around the world between 1990 and 2023 found that isometric exercise programs were more effective than resistance training and aerobic exercise, although all the programs reduced blood pressure.

Timothy recommends choosing cardio exercises where your heart rate is consistently elevated, including:

• brisk walking
• jogging
• swimming
• cycling
• dancing.

He also suggests resistance training exercises that involve compound movements that stimulate your heart rate, including:

• squats
• lunges
• push-ups
• deadlifts
• step-ups.

Research suggests that mindfulness practices like meditation and yoga may also help to lower blood pressure naturally by reducing stress. Sit in a quiet place for 10 minutes with your eyes closed, relax your muscles and silently repeat a word or sound. When stray thoughts interfere, let them go and return to your word or sound.

Coaching support for chronic conditions

You can trust HCF to help you be your healthiest self – that’s why we’ve launched The COACH Program^®. Delivered by an in-house team of accredited health professionals who support eligible HCF members with diabetes or a heart condition^{^}. Our team of dietitians, pharmacists and nurses work with you and your GP through a four to six-month phone coaching program to improve individual health outcomes.