High blood pressure? New U of S study says stretching better for you than walking

Phil Chilibeck came upon his latest professional development by accident.

The professor of kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan was studying the effect of walking for high blood pressure — something that is known to improve that condition. The walking group would walk, while they had the other group do some stretching.

To their surprise, the stretching group was having better outcomes. Both exercises are known to help improve high blood pressure, but now we know that stretching is better than walking when it comes to high blood pressure.

"When you stretch a muscle, you're also stretching the blood vessels in the limb that you're stretching. And when you stretch the blood vessels, it looks like it reduces the stiffness of those vessels," Chilibeck said.

"If you can make the artery less stiff, it improves blood flow and it reduces your blood pressure."

As for the type of stretches, any one that utilizes a major muscle group is effective.

"Any type of stretch for your hamstrings, your quadriceps, your calf muscles, so I think the stretches in your lower legs would be most important," he said.

This is not to say you should stop walking — you should keep that up if it's part of your routine, Chilibeck said, but add in some stretching too.

Chilibeck acknowledged the sample size was small for the study, so the next step is to run a bigger study.

According to a news release, 40 older men and women participated in the eight-week study, with a mean age of 61.

"One [group] did a whole-body stretching routine for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and the other group walked briskly for the same amount of time and frequency," the release reads.

The finding was published Dec. 18, 2020 in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.