Leisure-Time Exercise Can Keep Blood Pressure Healthy, According to a New Study

by Amanda MacMillan

Need another good reason to exercise? Here's one: According to a new study published in the journal Hypertension, being active in your down time can help drop your blood pressure.

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It sounds obvious, but it's more important than you might think: Almost 78 million adults in the United States have high blood pressure (140 mmHg or higher over 90 mmHg or higher). Lots of folks don't even know they have it. It's caused by a combo of genetics, diet and lifestyle factors, and it can lead to heart disease and stroke. So it makes sense to jump on anything you can do to lower your risk.

Apparently exercise is the answer. When researchers form Shandong University School of Public Health in China pooled results from 13 studies involving more than 130,000 people in the United States, Europe, and East Asia, they found that those who exercised more than four hours per week outside of their work hours had a 19 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure.

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What's wacky is researchers found no relation between physical exertion at work and high blood pressure risk -- which is to say that even if you're active on the job (teachers, waiters, etc.), you don't necessarily get the same cardiovascular benefit as, say, a lunchtime workout or a weekend tennis game.

These days the health guidelines that urge people to exercise generally don't distinguish between work versus leisure-time activity. But given these new findings, the authors of the study think they probably should.

Tennis anyone?

What kinds of workouts do you have planned for your free time this week?

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