High blood pressure is a major concern for many Australians, and nationally the leading cause of stroke — a condition which one in six of us are expected to suffer at some point in our lifetime. High blood pressure (or hypertension) is also one of the most common forms of cardiovascular disease, which kills one person every 12 minutes in Australia.
Consistently high blood pressure can also cause kidney damage and loss of eyesight, among other things, so getting your blood pressure checked — and then getting it in check — should be a priority.
As with anything else so crucial to your health, it’s important never to ignore the advice of your doctor or trusted health professional, and any prescribed medications should be taken as directed. However, high blood pressure is often the result of poor health and lifestyle choices, and as such can be considerably improved by making small changes to your daily routine.
1. Take check of your weight
Blood pressure generally increases as weight increases and people who carry additional weight, especially around the waist and stomach, can be at greater risk of hypertension. Use a BMI calculator (like this one from The Heart Foundation) to calculate your healthy weight range for your age and height, then work to bring your weight into that range, or toward the lower end if you’re already in that range. Even a loss of five kilos has been shown to make a beneficial difference to blood pressure.
2. Exercise regularly
Aim for 30 minutes most days of the week. If you’re feeling super unmotivated, time-poor, or have a health complication that stops you from doing vigorous exercise, even a brisk 30-minute walk will help. Consider leaving the car at home on Monday and going to work via foot… even if it’s just to the bus or train stop! Yoga has the added benefit of lowering stress levels (if done correctly!), so take a beginner’s class or download an app such as Yoga Studio to try it out in the comfort of your living room.
3. Tap into meditation
Slow breathing and meditation practices are believed to decrease stress hormones in the body, which have been shown to elevate blood pressure. One of the best things about meditation as a practice is that a small amount each day is better than a bigger amount all at once, so aim for just 10 minutes a day. Even until you get the hang of it, the act of setting aside time to sit quietly, close your eyes and focus on your breathing for a little while is better than nothing at all.
4. Make small tweaks to your diet
The goal is to lower your intake of salt, saturated fat and cholesterol, and increase your intake of wholegrains, fruits and vegetables, along with potassium-rich foods. Here’s a quick guide:
Less
Frozen meals
Pizza
Fatty and/or cured meats such as ham, bacon and sausages
White bread
Cream
Butter and margarine
Potato chips
Salted nuts
Soft drinks
More
Beans
Dark leafy greens
Fish
Bananas
Avocado
Potatoes and sweet potatoes
Squash
Tomatoes
Unsweetened orange juice
Bananas
Kidney beans
Peas
Dried fruits such as prunes and raisins
Garlic (some studies have shown that people who eat lots of garlic-rich meals have lower blood pressure than those who don’t, as it’s believed to improve circulation, thin blood, and dissolve blood fats)
5. But increase fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids thin the blood, easing its passage through the arteries. In a study published in Thrombosis Research, people with mild high blood pressure were given either the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), or a placebo. After four months, those on the omega-3 fatty acid regimen had an average decrease in systolic pressure six points below that of the placebo group.
6. Lower your alcohol intake
While alcohol has a relaxing effect on the body (and generally on blood pressure) in small amounts, generally anything more than one drink a day for women and men over 65, and two drinks a day for men under 65 can be detrimental to blood pressure. Alcohol can also hinder the effectiveness of blood pressure medications, so check with your doctor as to how much alcohol is safe when on certain medications.
7. Kick your smoking habit… for good
Smoking has a measured and immediate effect on blood pressure, and so every cigarette you don’t smoke is not only good for your overall health, but better for your blood pressure, too. We know that you know you should finally give it up for good, so go on… speak to a Priceline pharmacist about quitting and get your blood pressure checked whilst you’re there.
Brought to you by Priceline Pharmacy
