3 Ways you can Decrease your risk of Hypertension Right Now

Hypertension, in case you haven’t heard, is another way of saying high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to all sorts of ailments, most notable fatal heart attacks. One of the scariest things about this malady is that we often have little or no symptoms at so the only time that some folks find out they were at risk is when they have a heart attack. Therefore, it is extremely important that you monitor your blood pressure on a regular basis, ESPECIALLY as you get older.

A quick review for those that are new to the subject: High blood pressure is dangerous because the heart is often working harder than it should to force blood through vessels, and the vessels themselves receive damage overtime because of this increased pressure. This increased blood flow over time can cause serious damage leading to heart disease and even heart attacks.

But there is hope! In many cases, simply taking a proactive approach to your health can help to lessen the severity or even completely reverse the existence of hypertension. Below are 3 ways you can decrease your risk of hypertension right now.

1. Intense physical exercise-There is a direct relationship between exercise and blood pressure. The less you exercise, the higher your blood pressure often is. The MORE you exercise, the lower your blood pressure. If you are not sure how to design an exercise program, you might consider hiring a fitness coach. Fat loss is extremely important in order to maintain a healthy weight and lower blood pressure so make sure to make this a focus of your exercise goals.

2. Regular Checkups-Because there are often so symptoms at all, it is important that you schedule regular checkups with your doctor to monitor your blood pressure. Every 6 months or so is recommended. You want to shoot for a number at is at or below 120 over 80. Anything at or above 140 over 90 is consider high.

3. Hiring a nutrition coach-While diet alone is not necessarily the cause of most hypertension cases, it can have an effect. First of all, for those at risk, diets that contain high levels of salt should be avoided. A nutrition coach can be a vital component to your health program in helping you to design meals that are low in sodium. In addition, with healthy eating, fat loss can result. As we mentioned, this is a key component in helping to bring blood pressure down. Eating right and focusing on fat loss is a great addendum to your exercise program and regularly scheduled doctor checkups.

While hypertension may never have been a problem for you in the past, as you get older, your risk increases. Do NOT take this subject for granted, but instead, take a proactive approach to test your blood pressure and if necessary, make the life changes necessary to help with fat loss, increased exercise, and regular doctor checkups to make sure that hypertension does not claim another victim…YOU.