Although you can't run away from most health conditions, if you have high blood pressure, you may be able to walk away from it. Walking and other forms of physical activity play a crucial role in the prevention and control of high blood pressure, also called hypertension.

When you think about the changes you can make to your lifestyle to protect yourself from high blood pressure, you probably know that cutting back on salt and sodium can help. Although that's important, you should also put a priority on more physical activity. According to an 
American College of Sports Medicine position stand on physical activity and high blood pressure, "Enormous public health benefit could be realized by people with hypertension if they habitually exercised."

People with hypertension will see their blood pressure drop by about 5 to 7 mm Hg (which is the unit of measurement for blood pressure) after a session of endurance exercise. The higher your blood pressure, the bigger the decrease. That fall in blood pressure is more than enough to lower your risk of stroke and coronary artery disease by an appreciable amount. In addition, your blood pressure will stay reduced for up to 22 hours afterward.

As a result, if you exercise regularly, you may derive lasting benefits nearly around the clock. The ACSM recommends that people with high blood pressure exercise on most or all days of the week at a moderate intensity. You should get 30 minutes of physical activity either at one time or in smaller chunks throughout the day. Most of the exercise should be aerobic exercise, which includes walking, bicycling, gardening, swimming, and other activities that keep your pulse elevated for a sustained period of time. You should also do some strength-training exercises, like lifting weights, on a regular basis.

Even if you don't have high blood pressure now, getting sufficient exercise on most or all days can help protect you from developing the problem.

If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, or you haven't exercised regularly in a long time, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. Discuss any precautions you should follow with lifting weights. This type of exercise can temporarily raise your blood pressure, but doing more repetitions with lighter weights rather than a few repetitions with heavy weights can help prevent this problem. In addition, while you're lifting weights, keep breathing throughout the motion as you lift and lower the weight. Holding your breath during the motion can make your blood pressure jump.

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