7 steps that can lower your blood pressure as you age - CNN

The adults were part of a longitudinal study called the the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke, also known as REGARDS.

At the end of the nine years, the study found that each one-point increase in seven healthy lifestyle steps recommended by the American Heart Association was associated with a 6% lower risk of high blood pressure.

Life's Simple 7

Called Life's Simple 7, the AHA metric evaluates heart health by looking at four health behaviors:

Keeping your weight as measured by body mass index (BMI) at a healthy level between 18.5 and 24.9Getting at least 150 minutes a week of moderate physical activity or a combo of moderate and vigorous, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous intensityEating a heart-healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables and low in salt, fat and sugarStop (or never start) cigarette smoking

The AHA tool then folds in three additional health factors for a total metric:

Current blood pressure levels -- hopefully below 120/80, which is normal, or 130/80, which is considered elevated but not hypertensiveCholesterol levels today are calculated based on overall risk when combined with such health metrics as blood pressure, smoking status, diabetes status and other factors.

"Folks with higher LS7 total scores, who had more ideal cardiovascular health, were less likely to develop high blood pressure 10 years later when compared to individuals with lower LS7 total scores," Plante said.