If you’re looking to shave some points from your blood pressure, it might be as easy as getting up from the couch or your desk more often, a recent study suggests.

Researchers found that when sedentary older adults cut their sitting time by just 30 minutes a day, they were able to lower their blood pressure by a meaningful amount—on par with the improvements you could expect from starting an exercise routine.

The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, add to evidence of the power of reducing sedentary time. Studies have linked too much sitting (or reclining) to increased risks of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke—and those links are independent of people’s exercise habits. That suggests it’s important not only to strive for some dedicated exercise time (like a daily brisk walk) but also to stand up and move around throughout the day.

Unfortunately, many of us sit a lot. Research shows that adults ages 60 and older typically sit for 65 to 80 percent of their waking hours. So the new study tested a program designed to help sedentary older people get on their feet more often.

Researchers recruited 283 adults ages 60 to 89 who had obesity; more than half had a hypertension diagnosis or were on antihypertensive drugs. They then randomly assigned them to one of two groups. One group was enrolled in the program, called I-STAND, which gave them “sitting reduction goals” plus help in getting there: advice from a health coach, a tabletop standing desk, and a wrist-worn fitness tracker that prompted them to take breaks from sitting. Participants in the second group received advice from a health coach, but on other topics like diet and healthy sleep habits.

After six months, the I-STAND participants had trimmed their daily sitting time by a half-hour more (40 minutes in total), on average, than their peers in the comparison group. While that might sound like only a modest lifestyle change, it was enough to lower their systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood-pressure reading) by an extra 3.5 points, on average (6.7 points in total), versus the comparison group.

The findings offer an encouraging message, especially for people who have health conditions that make regular exercise challenging: Simply getting up more often throughout the day might help you control your blood pressure (along with other measures, like medication and diet changes).

“Simple” does not necessarily mean easy, though. If you’re looking for advice on how to cut your sitting time, the Society of Behavioral Medicine is one resource. Among its tips:

• Do like the I-STAND participants and use a fitness tracker to monitor your sitting time (you may be able to program it to send friendly reminders to stand up).
• Stand while doing your regular daily activities like texting, talking on the phone, or reading the newspaper.
• At work, use a standing desk; walk over to a colleague instead of emailing or calling; schedule walking meetings; and use printers and bathrooms that are farther from your desk.
• Take the stairs whenever possible; park your car farther from your destination, or, better yet, walk to do your errands.
• Combine household chores with normally sedentary activities (for instance, do the ironing, chop vegetables, or fold laundry while watching TV).
• Stand or walk along the sidelines at your grandkids’ sporting games.
• Consider limits on device time, such as only watching TV in the evening.
• While you’re up, try some short and simple at-home workouts designed for older adults.