Just 8 minutes of easy exercise can lower your blood pressure faster than cardio WITHOUT breaking a sweat

DOING a simple exercise for just eight minutes could slash your blood pressure faster than cardio, a study has found.

High blood pressure – also known as hypertension – is often referred to as a ‘silent killer condition’ as its symptoms are rarely noticeable.

GettyDoing a wall sit for a few minutes a day could bring down your blood pressure, research has found[/caption]

But persistent high blood pressure puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs and it can raise your risk of serious conditions like heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.

According to the British Heart Foundation, more than one in four adults may not know they have the condition.

A recent study published to the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that isometric exercises like wall sits – also known as wall squats – could help bring down blood pressure.

Isometric refers to any type of exercise that holds that body in one position, strengthening muscles without using movement. Think planks.

The research team compared a number of different forms of exercises and found that wall sits were more effective in slashing blood pressure than running, weight training and HIIT (high-intensity interval training).

They found that about eight minutes of isometric exercise, three times a week, can lead to a reduction in blood pressure.

If holding a wall sit for eight minutes straight sounds tough, don’t worry. This means holding a wall sit for two minutes and resting for two minutes, repeating four times.

With rest, this should only take 14 minutes out of your day.

Blood pressure is recorded in two numbers – systolic pressure, which is the force at which your heart pumps blood around your body, and diastolic pressure is the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels between heartbeats.

A patient is deemed to have high blood pressure if a reading from a GP shows 140/90mmHg. An ideal reading is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg.

The research conducted by Canterbury Christ Church University reviewed 270 studies between 1990 and 2023 that collectively studied 15,827 participants.

Researchers looked at how doing three isometric exercises affected blood pressure: squeezing a handgrip dynamometer, extending your legs against a fixed resistance and doing wall sits.

Compared to workouts involving cardio, weightlifting, a mix of both, as well as HIIT, isometric exercises were found to be 98 per cent effective at lowering systolic blood pressure.

That doesn’t mean you should only perform wall sits in order to bring down your blood pressure and ditch other forms of exercise.

Jamie O’Driscoll, the senior author of the study, told The Washington Post :“Our main message is that actually engaging in exercise is fantastic and any exercise might reduce your blood pressure.”

“But if you’re an individual who is currently exercising to the guidelines and you’re still having a bit of difficulty reducing that blood pressure and you want to avoid going on medication, perhaps isometrics is an additional mode to complement the exercise you’re already doing.”

How to do a wall sit

Here’s how to give the exercise a go:

Stand upright against a wall

Slide down it so your knees bend and thighs are parallel to the ground, like you’re sitting in a chair

Your back should stay firmly against the wall

Hold, squeezing your glutes and core for maximum burn