It's hardly a surprise that regular exercise helps keep blood pressure in check. What is surprising is that women who regularly pray or read inspirational scripture to help motivate themselves to stay fit, take 78% more steps a week than those who tell themselves that exercise is good for their health, a new study suggests. And that translates to as much as a 12-point drop in blood pressure!

Don't like walking? Fitting in 15 minutes of resistance exercises, such as lifting light weights, or sit-ups, lunges an squats, three times a weekly can relax your arteries, trimming eight points off your blood pressure in two months. (Woman's World, April 4, 2011)