The American Heart Association recommends that people with high blood pressure should exercise for at least 30 mins, five days per week. But many people can’t get that exercise due to injury, health issues or time constraints.

Debra, a PhD student in Exercise Physiology at UNE,  is conducting an exercise program which aims to reduce blood pressure. She’s hoping to find an alternative exercise to aid in blood pressure reduction for people who can’t get their 30 minutes for five out of seven.

Debra is looking for people aged between 30 and 70 with high blood pressure to participate in a study. It doesn’t matter if you are on medication or not. The exercise program involves coming into the exercise physiology lab at sportune 3 times a week for 12 weeks. Participants will exercise using an isometric handgrip, and generally only need 20 minutes in total for the majority of their visits.

This is the first isometric exercise study to be conducted over 12 weeks, making it the longest study anywhere in the world in isometric resistance training. Debra conducted a shorter study in 2014/15, with encouraging results.

In November 2016 Debra will be attending American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) conference in Chicago, where she will be presenting her research, with A/Prof Neil Smart as and two other experts in the field from Canada.

So if you suffer from high blood pressure, have a little extra time, and want to be a part of a ground-breaking study, please contact Debra at UNE/via email: dmaher7@myune.edu.au