I’ve always depended on walking as my main mode of exercise. It suits my lifestyle and appeals to my lazier side that hates the idea of overexertion via aerobic activity. It’s just a nice way to get outside, have some fresh air, and relax my addled mind. However, a new study is touting the benefits of stretching as a more effective way to lower blood pressure. That’s even less exertion than walking! If you have high blood pressure, stretching could be the perfect addition to your activity routine. (1)

High Blood Pressure

We all know high blood pressure increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases, the world’s number one cause of death. So it just makes good sense we find new ways to lower that risk. If stretching is better than brisk walking, it’s like a lazy person’s dream come true. (2)

“Everyone thinks that stretching is just about stretching your muscles,” says Phil Chilibeck, a student of biomechanics and human movement (kinesiology) at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada. “But when you stretch your muscles, you’re also stretching all the blood vessels that feed into the muscle, including all the arteries.” (1)

Lower Blood Pressure From Stretching

When you reduce artery stiffness you create less resistance for your blood flow potentially lowering blood pressure. Other studies support the idea of stretching to improve blood flow to muscles and tissues. Add to this other benefits like strengthening connective tissue, improving flexibility, and a potential boost to our ability to exercise, and you kind of wonder why you wouldn’t stretch. (1)

Lower Blood Pressure After Eight Weeks

When stretching was compared to walking, after eight weeks, many stretchers saw greater reductions in blood pressure over the walkers. “This finding is important as it offers people a greater number of exercise options for reducing blood pressure,” says the researchers. (1)

Interestingly they have good results but aren’t quite sure how the stretching works. Looking at the ease of blood flow is a good start. They also figure the slow controlled breathing with stretching might help. It kind of sounds like yoga, don’t it? Of course, that then raises the question of whether it is the stretching or the breathing that works. (1)

Unconfirmed Standards For Lower Blood Pressure Test

The participants weren’t watched like hawks either, so researchers had to trust they were stretching and/or brisk walking as assigned. This could mean the participants might have had different standards than those outlined by the researchers. (1)

The group tested was small with only 35 completing the full eight-week program. As well, the study doesn’t really show if there is a sustained effect from stretching. So once someone stops stretching, how long does it take before the benefits stop as well? (1)

Smaller Waists From Brisk Walking

Another observation, that is not surprising is that the walkers ended up with smaller waistlines. So, as you can imagine, your heart is pumping more from the aerobic exercises than it would if just doing stretching alone. (1)

“Things like walking, biking, or cross-country skiing all have a positive effect on body fat, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar,” says Chilibeck. Therefore what might make more sense is to continue your walking or other aerobic exercise with stretching to really amp up the positive effects for improved heart health. Sigh. (1)