More than 100 million Americans, nearly half the U.S. adult population, have high blood pressure. Ideally, the American Heart Association (AHA) says our blood pressure readings should be 120/80 milliliters of mercury (mm Hg).

Many of those with elevated blood pressure have what is known as stage 1 hypertension, where the blood pressure readings are between 130 and 139 mm Hg for the upper, or systolic number, and between 80 and 89 mm Hg for the lower, or diastolic reading

According to AARP, people with stage 1 hypertension may be able to avoid taking medication by lowering their numbers with simple  changes in lifestyle habits.  Losing weight, lowering salt intake, limiting alcohol, and lowering stress are some proven ways to tackle high blood pressure.

If left untreated, however, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease. Here are some unusual methods of tackling the problem:

• Get your breathing muscles into shape. Devices called breathing exercisers,  that train your breathing muscles, create resistance when you inhale and may lower blood pressure readings over time, say researchers from the University of Colorado in Boulder. “We found that 30 resisted inhales per day, five to seven times a week for six weeks, lowered systolic blood pressure by 9 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by 4 mm Hg,” said study author Daniel Craighead, an assistant research professor for the University’s Integrative Physiology of Aging Laboratory.

• Walk 8,200 steps. New research from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, found that this daily step count not only lowered blood pressure but also helped get weight under control.

• Follow the DASH diet. A report by AHA analyzed the most popular diets and ranked them based on which approaches were best and worst for your heart. The conclusion was that on a scale of 10 to 100, some of the trendiest diets in social media were the worst for cardiovascular health. For example, very low-carb regimens like the Atkins and ketogenic diets scored 31 points and the paleo diet scored 53 points.  According to MSN, the report gave its highest mark—a score of 100—to the DASH diet, which stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”. This plan was developed by researchers at the National Institutes of Health in the 1990’s and has been widely endorsed by doctors, dietitians, and other nutrition experts. Similar to the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet includes grains, fruit, lean meat, fish or poultry, low-fat dairy and nuts, beans and seeds.

• Take up tai chi to reduce stress. Recent Chinese research suggests learning this gentle form of exercise can improve hypertension. It involves slow- flowing movements and deep breathing. It’s good for your heart and blood vessels and is an excellent form of stress relief, says AARP.

• Stretch daily. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan in Alberta, Canada studied older adults with hypertension and found that simple stretching exercises actually helped lower blood pressure readings better than a walking program. Five days a week of stretching for 30 minutes led to greater improvements in blood pressure than five days of 30-minute walks.

• Practice mindfulness. A study published this year in the journal Hypertension found that adults who participated in a customized mindfulness program that promoted self-awareness, attention, and emotion regulation had significantly lower systolic blood pressure readings after six months of practice compared to adults who find follow the program.