Increasing levels of physical activity, together with reduced sodium intake, weight loss, and limited alcohol consumption
are therapeutic lifestyle changes known to effectively reduce blood pressure (1). Data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study support the fact that cardiovascular fitness
is inversely related to the development of hypertension, diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, and hypercholesterolemia (2). Dynamic aerobic training, in particular, has been shown to lower conventional and daytime blood pressure readings among
hypertensive patients (3). In general, exercise provides a substantial benefit for patients with both hypertension and cardiovascular disease and
reduces the 10-year cardiovascular risk by 25% (4). From a clinical standpoint, a reduction of as little as 3mmHg in average population systolic blood pressure (SBP) has been
estimated to reduce coronary heart disease by 5-9%, stroke by 8-14%, and all-cause mortality by 4%. Two other advantages of
exercise as a therapeutic intervention are its positive effect on multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors and the fact
that moderate exercise is low risk and has very few contraindications for most people.