If you want to get your systolic BP down, increase your daily walking. That's the recommendation of a new study from the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Researchers studied a group of 24 postmenopausal women with borderline to mild hypertension. For the test, 15 of the women increased their normal walking routine to meet the recommended 30 minutes/day of physical activity of moderate intensity. The other nine women did not change their routine; they walked for less time and/or less often than those in the test group.

A drop in systolic blood pressure (the upper number) was seen in those who increased their walking: it was down 6 mmHg after 12 weeks, and down another 5 mmHg after 24 weeks. There was no change in those women who did not increase their walking routine. The women who increased their daily activity also lost nearly 3 pounds after 24 weeks.

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Source:  Moreau KL, DeGarmo R, Langley J, et al. Increasing daily walking lowers blood pressure in postmenopausal women. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, November 2001;33:1825-1831. (Abs.)