Do you want to lower high blood pressure?

Do you want to lower high blood pressure?

About three years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension). After a series of tests, I was informed by my doctor that there is no medical reason for high blood pressure. it had to be hereditary. Since there is no medical reason why I had high blood pressure, it could be changed. I set about lowering it and stopping the medication. I took 2 Cartia pills a day, the time was released.

After taking the medication to help reduce high blood pressure, I could see a difference in how I felt. I seemed calmer and had fewer headaches. Even though the medication helped me, I didn't want to rely on it. I was worried that my 2 pills would then go up to 3, then 4, and so on. I took this as a wake up call to make a change and lower the 2 pills to 1 and then to none.

Here's what I did...

I found a way to lose weight.I don't like working out, but I've had it too. I trained as little as possible. I have a treadmill in my house and I would run while watching shows I like. Some of my favorite shows are Bones, Haven, The Middle and Modern Family. I recorded the shows and watched them while walking on the treadmill. I would skip all the commercials and do a 1 hour show that is about 30 minutes long. That's how long I had to walk to have a healthy heart. Those 30 minutes would take me anywhere from 1 mile to almost 2 miles depending on the speed I was walking. Every day is different and I would adjust depending on how I was feeling. However, I made sure to always go, even if I didn't want to.

I also changed the way I ate. I didn't want to diet but needed a little help with eating so I found a place where I could do it. It wasn't a place where they sold food, but simply a place where I could learn about proper foods and how and when to eat them.

First I got rid of everything that was easy to do. All these packaged meals like tuna helpers and so on. They are very rich in salt. Think about it. Companies have to preserve them somehow, and I believe they do that by adding a ton of salt. Not only did the salt contribute to my high blood pressure, but it also kept me from losing weight. Also cut out the canned soup. After eating canned soup, people asked me if I was okay, but I never understood why. I'm doing it now. They said I looked red; that my cheeks were red and so was my nose. I think to this day it was all salt in the ointment.

I started buying fresh fruits and vegetables before shopping at the supermarket. I bought fresh fruits and vegetables. The stand is much cheaper than the grocery store and the products taste better. At the stand I buy small plant pots filled with plums or tomatoes from packages at a reasonable price. Each week the items in the planters change, which helps me rotate the products I purchase. I spend an average of $15 for a week or more. I can tell you for sure that the same items I buy at the stall cost twice as much at the supermarket and are tasteless.

I cut out white items to include bread and sugar. I now buy brown rice noodles and spinach noodles. When I eat bread, I try to have only one piece of bread and make my sandwich thicker in the middle. I buy multigrain bread. I gave up sugar and used honey instead. I even cook with honey.

All of these things that I have done are easy to do.

Within a year, I was completely off the medication and lost 19 pounds. I still want to lose more weight, but I seem to be having a hard time achieving it. I've been slacking a little on my treadmill workouts and that could be the reason. Even when life gets hectic, I try to find time to work on myself and stay healthy.

I never want to have to rely on medication again. I highly recommend you get a blood pressure monitor and monitor your pressure. Start by checking it several times a day and only once or twice a week after making sure your blood pressure stays below 120/80.

Inspired by Vicki Stanley Brown