Reducing Blood Pressure

Recent research underscores the importance of a healthful lifestyle including a fitness regimen for both the prevention and treatment of hypertension Often, changes in diet and exercise habits are enough to control blood pressure without medication, especially for people with mild to moderate blood pressure levations Sometimes diet and exercise can even reduce the need for medication, and thereby reduce side effects and lower costs

If you are already taking medication for hypertension, it’s important to discuss your lifestyle changes with your doctor, and continue taking your medication as prescribed If lifestyle changes result in improved blood pressure, your doctor will want to work closely with you to reduce your dosage in a safe and effective manner Following are some of the most important things you can do to prevent and control hypertension

Reducing your sodium intake is a major factor Many people with hypertension find that reducing sodium intake reduces blood pressure as well Learn which foods are high in sodium, and avoid them as much as possible

Regular exercise is the most important hypertension-prevention habit for three reasons:

First, it helps prevent and control hypertension Formerly sedentary people who begin exercising regularly experience, on average, a drop of six or seven points in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure

Second, active people have lower death rates than their sedentary friends, even when they have the same blood pressure Research has shown that exercise reduces risk for cardiovascular and other disease Exercise also helps prevent obesity, another hypertension risk factor

Third, regular exercise provides the foundation for successful behavior change programs Exercise makes you feel good and feel positive about yourself Stress reduction is one of the greatest benefits of exercise Stress not only raises blood pressure, but it makes you less inclined to stick to your positive eating plan, your
smoking cessation program or your decision to cut down on your alcohol intake

Eating more fruits, vegetables and grains increases your intake of important minerals such as calcium and potassium, not to mention vitamins and fiber One study found that volunteers consuming a diet high in these foods and low in fats (such as the diets created by our on-staff nutritionist) reduced systolic blood pressure by four points, and diastolic by three points This small but significant reduction was accomplished with diet alone Add exercise, stress management and weight loss for people who are overweight, and blood pressure reductions often improve much more

Eating well and exercising regularly are the cornerstone
Deprivation programs are out! Don’t focus on weight loss; focus on a healthy lifestyle A little weight loss may occur by cutting down on “junk food,” eating more fruits, vegetables and grains, and increasing physical activity Even a relatively small loss, such as 5 to 10 pounds, can reduce blood pressure The most important goal is the development of healthful habits that stay with you for a
lifetime, so that the weight stays off Weight cycling (repeatedly losing and regaining weight) may raise your blood pressure and be harmful to your health

Reducing stress is another lifelong task Take a stress management workshop, develop your sense of humor and read some good books Develop coping techniques that increase your resistance to stress related illness And don’t forget the importance of exercise for stress reduction

Limiting your alcohol and caffeine intake will make a profound difference in your health You should strive to drink alcohol and caffeine in moderation, if at all

For a ton of free, valuable tips, tricks, and secrets visit: http://wwwMaximizeYourMetabolismcom

© 2002-2005 Wisdom Books, LLC Christopher Guerriero WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this blurb with it: Christopher Guerriero, is the founder of the National Metabolic Longevity Research Center and a best-selling author, speaker, and coach to millions He is creator of the award-winning ‘Maximize Your Metabolism’ system To learn more about this step-by-step program, and to sign up for FR*EE how-to articles and FREE teleseminars, visit http://wwwMaximizeYourMetabolismcom

Tags | blood, diastolic, lifestyle, prevention, regimen, risk, smoking, systolic