Most people think stretching is just about the muscles. "But when you stretch your muscles, you're also stretching all the blood vessels that feed into the muscle, including all the arteries," says Dr Phil Chilibeck, Ph.D, explaining that stretching reduces stiffness in arteries, thereby reducing resistance to blood flow and lowering blood pressure. Dr Chilibeck is the coauthor of a recent study published in the Journal Of Physical Activity and Health in December 2020. The result of the study showes that stretching is more successful in lowering blood pressure in real numbers than brisk walking.

Chilibeck and colleagues randomly assigned 40 older men and women (mean age 61) to two groups for the eight-week study period. One 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. All participants had elevated blood pressure, or Stage 1 hypertension, at the start of the study.  ...