If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you might be considering medication to keep your numbers down. While there are medications that can help, your lifestyle plays a major role in treating your high blood pressure. If you can successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy lifestyle, you may not need medicine at all! Here are the top 5 ways to lower your blood pressure without using medication:
1. Exercise on a Regular Basis
One of the best ways to lower your blood pressure without using medication is to exercise at least 30 minutes on most days. This includes aerobic exercise such as walking, cycling or swimming, as well as strength training at least two days per week. If your blood pressure is high, this physical activity can help you avoid hypertension or bring your blood pressure down to safer levels. The important thing is to be consistent with your exercise because if you stop, your blood pressure can rise again.
2. Reduce Your Stress Levels
If you have a high amount of stress in your life, this can contribute to high blood pressure. When you take some time to consider what is stressing you out, you can try to create a plan to eliminate or reduce that stress. While it may be difficult to eliminate all the stress from your job, school or other daily responsibilities, you can try to cope with the stress in a healthy way. For example, you should try to find the time each day to relax and do some hobbies or activities that you enjoy.
3. Eat a Healthy Diet
Another way to lower your blood pressure without using medication is to eat a healthy diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy products. Try to avoid those foods that contain a high amount of saturated fat and cholesterol. While it isn’t easy to change your eating habits, you can adopt a healthy diet by monitoring how much you eat with a food diary. Once you see your true eating habits, you can see what you need to change to eat healthier.
4. Watch Your Waist Size
Since blood pressure usually increases as weight increases, weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling your blood pressure. Men are generally at risk for high blood pressure when their weight measurement is greater than 40 inches, while women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches. Even if you lose a small amount of weight, you can make a significant impact on reducing your blood pressure!
5. Reduce Sodium in Your Diet
You can improve your heart health and reduced blood pressure by making even a small reduction in the sodium in your diet. You can decrease your sodium intake by selecting low sodium alternatives of the food and beverages that you normally buy. You should also eat fewer processed foods as most sodium is added during processing. Remember to avoid adding salt to your meals, but use herbs or spices as an alternative to add flavor to your food.
Now that you are familiar with some of the lifestyle changes necessary to lower your blood pressure without medication, we wish you the best on keeping it down naturally. However, If your blood pressure is still high and you would like to discuss some of the medications that can help with this issue, please contact us at Mac’s Pharmacy! We are dedicated to maintaining and improving your health, so we would be happy to address any of your questions or concerns!
