High blood pressure comes with a warning. It’s called pre-hypertension, and it’s easy to detect. All it takes is blood pressure cuff like the one at your local drug store, or your doctor’s office. You can even buy one to use at home.
If your pressure reading has a top number that’s between 120-139, or bottom number that’s between 80-89, you’ve got pre-hypertension.
If your top number is between 140-159, or your bottom number is between 90-94, you’ve got mild hypertension.
If you reach or exceed 160 top, or 95 bottom, it’s considered high blood pressure.
Reduce your risk. If you test your blood pressure and it’s on the high side, what can you do?
- Exercise. Just 30 minutes of vigorous walking on most days should do the trick. But, please do more, add weight-resistance training at least two nonconsecutive days a week, hike, play games, swim, bike. Exercise also helps ease stress, which can also make blood pressure go up.
- Eat better. The foods you choose can make a big difference in your blood pressure. Eliminate fat and salt. Eat more fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy foods, lean chicken meat and fish
- Loose weight. When it comes to weight loss, every little bit counts. For every two pounds you loose, your pressure will come down a point or so. Five or ten pounds can make the difference between pre-hypertension and normal blood pressure
- Stop smoking. Smoking is horrible for blood pressure. It makes the walls of your blood vessels stiff, which drives up your numbers