The Ideal Walking Speed to Help Reduce Blood Pressure

• Why it matters: Many people do not realize that regular walking can make a meaningful difference in blood pressure.
• What to do: Walk at a brisk pace for at least 150 minutes a week to help improve blood pressure.
• The benefit: Consistent walking can support heart health and reduce the risk of hypertension-related complications over time.

A daily walk may do more for your health than you expect, particularly when it comes to blood pressure. Adding brisk walking to your exercise routine can help manage hypertension and support cardiovascular health over time.

How much walking helps lower blood pressure?

Based on large observational studies and national guidelines, experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week to help lower blood pressure. Moderate-intensity activity raises your heart rate and makes you sweat and breathe harder, while still allowing you to carry on a conversation. Brisk walking is one example.

This can be broken up into at least five sessions per week. “Any walking is better than no walking,” Joseph Ebinger, MD, MS, FACC, associate professor of cardiology, director of cardiac intensive care, and director of clinical analytics at Cedars-Sinai, Smidt Heart Institute, told Health. “It’s not about the specifics of how you walk, but more important that you get up and walk, aiming to get in at least 150 minutes a week.”

How fast should you walk?

“The best evidence supports brisk walking,” Solomon W. Bienstock, MD, a cardiologist at Mount Sinai Fuster Heart Hospital in New York City, told Health.

Tip: “Think of it as walking like you’re in a bit of a hurry, at about 3 miles per hour or roughly a 20-minute mile, for 20 to 40 minutes per session.”

Is it better to walk more often or for longer periods?

“More frequent sessions are preferable to fewer, longer sessions,” Bienstock said, pointing to a recent study that compared the same weekly exercise total, 150 minutes, across two or four sessions per week. The study found that four exercise sessions per week led to a greater blood pressure reduction than longer, twice-weekly sessions with the same total time.

Even so, researchers say more study in larger groups is needed to understand how well these results hold up over the long term in people with high blood pressure.

When might you notice a difference?

Once you begin walking, the benefits may appear within a few months. Both Ebinger and Bienstock say improvements can be seen after a short period of consistent exercise.

“It typically takes about three months to see changes in your blood pressure related to starting a walking regimen,” said Ebinger. “Importantly, walking has effects beyond just lower blood pressure, such as weight loss, lower cholesterol, and better overall health.”

Research also shows that walking can reduce both systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in the general population after three months, with potential systolic reductions of about 4 to 8 mmHg among people with high blood pressure.

Keep in mind: “These benefits are not permanent and will diminish if the walking routine is discontinued,” according to Bienstock.

A simple walking routine for heart health

Bienstock says the most effective walking routine for lowering blood pressure is a brisk, moderate-intensity walk for 30 to 40 minutes, five days a week. Still, even shorter sessions of about 20 minutes can be helpful.

“Each walking session produces an acute blood pressure-lowering effect, so more frequent sessions provide more cumulative hours of lower blood pressure throughout the week,” Bienstock said.

Ebinger said the best routine is the one you can keep doing consistently. “There is good evidence that helps to improve not just blood pressure, but overall cardiovascular health. That 150 minutes is a floor, not a ceiling, so don’t feel the need to stop just because you hit 150 minutes. You can work your way into it, slowly increasing your walking over several weeks.”