Managing A Loved One's High Blood Pressure By Walking

Walking is one of the easiest ways a caregiver and an older adult, especially those with high blood pressure, can get healthier together. It is free, low impact, and you can fit it into real life.

Why Walk Together

Walking is gentle on the joints and accessible to most fitness levels, making it an ideal activity to share. Matching your pace with a loved one creates an opportunity to bond by sharing stories, asking questions, and enjoy meaningful time together. Walking can also serve as an easy gateway into other aerobic exercises.

What’s in It for Older Adults?

For older adults with high blood pressure, walking helps lower blood pressure. Aerobic exercise like walking is proven to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Remarkably, the blood pressure-lowering effect can last up to 24 hours after activity.

With consistent, regular walking, blood pressure stays lower over the long term, reducing the risk of heart disease. It’s worth noting that some caregivers also have hypertension, and high caregiver strain can negatively affect self-care for blood pressure.

What’s in It for Caregivers?

Caregivers play a vital role in managing high blood pressure for their loved ones, but it is also essential they take care of their own health. Walking together offers a practical way for caregivers to meet their own physical activity needs while supporting the person they care for.

Walking together encourages caregivers to pursue their own health goals while supporting those they care for. Physical activity reduces caregiver stress and helps maintain a healthy weight and cardiovascular health.

How Much Should You Walk?

The National Institute on Aging suggests that moderate-intensity physical activity totaling about 90 minutes per week can significantly lower heart disease risk for people with high blood pressure. Adding other activities such as dancing, swimming, and bicycling provides even greater benefits.

A 2025 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology analyzed data from over 36,000 hypertensive adults and showed that every additional 1,000 steps per day was associated with about a 17% lower risk of major cardiovascular events, with benefits observed up to 10,000 steps.

So even if your loved one is far from the 10,000-step target, increasing daily steps by about 1,000 and walking at a comfortable yet brisk pace can positively shift cardiovascular risk.

Start walking with your loved one today!