Keeping an Eye on Our Blood Pressure
By Stephen R. Farris
If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure, did you know that by eating a healthier diet you could lower it and reduce your chances of heart attack and stroke? The "silent killer" as it's been called, may not show any symptoms until it's too late. That's usually when a heart attack or stroke happens.
But there are ways to lower high blood pressure and keep it in a healthy, safe range.
Lose Weight
Even a weight loss decrease of 10 percent can help lower your blood pressure and take a lot of extra work off of your heart too. The more overweight a person is, the more blood has to be circulated throughout the body, forcing the heart to work even harder than it was intended to have to do. Changing your diet and exercising more is a good way to start, and could possibly impact -- in a positive way -- the amount of medication you are having to take for high blood pressure. Beginner exercisers should start off slow until they've worked their way up to at least 30 minutes of brisk exercise a day.
Eat a Variety of Good Stuff
Mix it up a little, your diet that is. Just make sure you are getting the nutrients and minerals your body needs each and every day. Adding fresh fruits and raw vegetables to your daily plan is a step in the right direction. If dairy products are to be a part of your diet, choose those that are low in fat. Make sure you have enough proteins, such as fish, lean meats like chicken and turkey are good to incorporate into your dietary plans. Strive to cut back the amount of sodium in your diet as well. Too much sodium can cause our bodies to retain more fluid than we need, thus forcing our heart to pump more blood throughout our system.
Cast Out Those Spirits
In other words, cut down or cut out alcohol consumption altogether. Not only will it help with blood pressure levels, cutting down on alcohol intake can help prevent other diseases or cancers that could lead to long-term problems with our health, or death even. Curb your tobacco use as well. Neither alcohol or tobacco is good for our bodies.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Rocklin, Calif.