

The first is to not smoke because smoking is associated with many issues, including heart issues.Īnother lifestyle habit for healthy blood pressure (and overall health) is getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity weekly. Several healthy lifestyle habits can lower your risk for high blood pressure.

Lifestyle changes for healthy blood pressure The good news is that there are ways you can manage high blood pressure and lower your risk for heart disease (angina, heart attack, heart failure), stroke, kidney disease, and vision loss. It can also sometimes occur during pregnancy. It can happen due to diabetes or obesity or not getting enough physical activity. High blood pressure usually develops over many years. If your blood pressure is slightly higher than these numbers, it’s “elevated.” However, if your blood pressure gets above 130/80 mm Hg, you may be diagnosed with hypertension. The second number (in this case, 80 mm Hg) is the diastolic blood pressure in your vessels between beats. The first number (in this case, 120 mm Hg) is the systolic blood pressure in your vessels as your heart beats. The more force required, the more pressure it puts on your vessels, and the more damage it can do to the pump and the vessels, especially when high blood pressure persists over many years.Ī normal blood pressure reading is 120/80 mm Hg. Imagine the pressure you would need to push the water through the hose versus the pipe. You can think of it as water flowing through a flexible tube versus a rigid, rugged, narrow pipe. What is blood pressure?īlood pressure is how much pressure your heart needs to use to keep blood flowing through your vessels. And research says it works.ĭisclaimer: If your doctor recommends medication to help you control your blood pressure, be sure to take it as directed and go for routine monitoring or testing as required.īefore I go into the details of the DASH diet, let’s define high blood pressure. That’s called the DASH diet: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. There is one diet specially designed to help with high blood pressure. The foods you eat affect many aspects of your health, and it’s never too late to start enjoying a more “heart-healthy” diet. High blood pressure can be hazardous because it increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, and blindness, so regular blood pressure screening and a healthy diet and lifestyle are essential. In 2019, this resulted in over half a million deaths. have hypertension, and most don’t have it under control. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), almost half of the adults in the U.S. But because it rarely shows any warning signs or symptoms, it’s easy to miss if you’re not looking out for it. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is called the “silent epidemic.” That’s because so many people have it.
DASH DIET MEAL PLAN FREE
