Recent research underscores the importance of a healthy lifestyle that includes an exercise regimen for both the prevention and treatment of hypertension. Changes in diet and exercise habits are often enough to control blood pressure without medication, especially for people with mild to moderate elevations in blood pressure. Sometimes diet and exercise can even reduce the need for medication, thereby reducing side effects and costs.
If you are already taking medications for high blood pressure, it is important to discuss lifestyle changes with your doctor and continue to take your medications as prescribed. If lifestyle changes result in an improvement in blood pressure, your doctor will want to work closely with you to lower your dose in a safe and effective way. Here are some of the most important things you can do to prevent and control high blood pressure.
Reducing your sodium intake is an important factor. Many people with hypertension find that reducing sodium intake also lowers blood pressure. Learn which foods are high in sodium and avoid them as much as possible.
Regular exercise is the most important hypertension prevention habit for three reasons:
First, it helps prevent and control hypertension. Previously sedentary people who begin to exercise regularly experience, on average, a six or seven point drop in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
Second, active people have lower death rates than their sedentary friends, even when they have the same blood pressure. Research has shown that exercise reduces the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. Exercise also helps prevent obesity, another risk factor for hypertension.
Third, regular exercise provides the foundation for successful behavior change programs. Exercise makes you feel good and positive about yourself. Reducing stress is one of the greatest benefits of exercise. Stress not only increases your blood pressure, but it also makes you less likely to follow your positive eating plan, your
smoking cessation program or your decision to cut down on your alcohol use.
Eating more fruits, vegetables, and grains increases your intake of important minerals like calcium and potassium, not to mention vitamins and fiber. One study found that volunteers who ate a diet high in these foods and low in fat (such as the diets created by our staff nutritionist) lowered systolic blood pressure by four points and diastolic blood pressure by three points. This small but significant reduction was achieved with diet alone. Add in exercise, stress management, and weight loss for overweight people, and the blood pressure reductions are often much better.
Eating right and exercising regularly are the cornerstone.
The deprivation programs are out! Don’t focus on losing weight; focus on a healthy lifestyle. Small weight loss can occur by cutting down on “junk food,” eating more fruits, vegetables, and grains, and increasing physical activity. Even a relatively small loss, like 5 to 10 pounds, can lower blood pressure. The most important goal is to develop healthy habits that stick with you for a while.
for life, to keep the weight off. The weight cycle (repeatedly losing and regaining weight) can raise your blood pressure and be detrimental to your health.
Reducing stress is another lifelong task. Take a stress management workshop, develop your sense of humor, and read some good books. Develop coping techniques that increase your resistance to stress-related illnesses. And don’t forget the importance of exercise to reduce stress.
Limiting your alcohol and caffeine intake will make a big difference to your health. You must live to drink alcohol and caffeine in moderation, if at all.
