High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, heart attack and stroke. While there are some risk factors such as age, genetics and nationality that you can not change, there are many factors that are within your control. While making lifestyle changes can be tough, in the long run you will feel better, be in charge of your health, and bring your blood pressure to a healthier level.
Step 1
Participate in regular cardiovascular exercise. According to the American Heart Association, physical activity can help to control and lower your blood pressure. In contrast, being sedentary increases your risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. The AHA recommends that to help lower blood pressure you should aim for 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity on at least five days per week. This includes brisk walking, swimming, biking and aerobic classes. You should work out at a level that challenges you, but does not lead to injury or exhaustion. To help determine if you are exercising at the right level, the AHA says to try this test. "If you can exchange brief sentences easily while performing the activity, but not a comfortable or lengthy conversation, your intensity level is likely on target."
Step 2
Limit the amount of salt you eat. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has published a guide to help you make smart dietary choices to help lower your blood pressure. A large component of the program is reducing your salt intake. If you have too much sodium in your body, you will retain fluid. The more fluid you have the harder your heart must work to pump the extra fluid. The harder your heart is working, the higher your blood pressure. The NHLBI states that currently many adults eat 4,200 mg of sodium a day. The recommend daily amount is no more than 2,300 mg, and 1,500 or less is even better. This includes the salt you add to your foods and the sodium found in processed foods. Learn to read the nutritional labels of the foods you eat, to help cut your salt intake to a healthy level.
Step 3
Eat a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables. Limit your intake of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol because these substances can contribute to plaque buildup in your artery walls. When plaque sticks to the walls of your arteries, your arteries become hard and narrow, allowing less blood to flow through. When less blood gets through, more pressure is placed against the artery walls, which in turn causes higher blood pressure readings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that your goal should be to get no more then ten percent of your daily calories from saturated fat, to consume no more then 300 mg per day of cholesterol, and to eat as little trans fat as possible.
Step 4
Shed the extra pounds. It is well known that carrying extra weight puts you at risk for developing a host of medical problems, including high blood pressure. The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey website reviews the findings of a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine concerning the benefits of weight loss in regard to blood pressure. According to the UMDNJ website, intervention programs that provided a weight loss diet helped to reduce blood pressure as well. Individuals who lost 20 pounds lowered their diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure by seven millimeters and their systolic (top number) blood pressure by five millimeters. In addition, if they kept the weight off, their blood pressure remained stable. The aim is to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that contains food from all of the food groups, in moderation. Stay away from crash diets or extremely restrictive eating plans. You need to develop a food plan and daily caloric intake that you can follow for the rest of your life.
Step 5
Talk to your health care provider about medication. If the above lifestyle changes are not enough, you may need to take medication to bring your blood pressure down to a healthier level. There are many types and classes of medication that can help. You and your doctor will need to work together to find the right combination and dosage for you.
Tips and Warnings
- If you are new to exercise, start off slowly and build up gradually. The trick is to find an activity that you actually enjoy so you will stay with it. Many times people drop their exercise routines because they start off too hard and too fast. Make changes gradually and ease your way into a healthier lifestyle.
- Any drastic changes to your diet or exercise program should be discussed with your doctor first. You will need to take into consideration other medical conditions you may have and medications you are already taking.
