Preventing & Reversing High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is the #1 risk factor for death in the world with more than 75 million Americans currently affected. Addressing high blood pressure is a major risk factor for many comorbidities, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, and chronic kidney disease.
As people age our blood pressures get higher and higher. So, high blood pressure must be caused by aging right? No! High blood pressure does not need to occur! An increasing amount of research demonstrates that high blood pressure may be primarily lifestyle related.
We can improve our lifestyle and behaviors to prevent and reverse high blood pressure. A few behavior changes you can make include:
- Avoiding tobacco (raises blood pressure, heart rate, narrows your arteries, hardens your artery walls and increases risk for clotting)
- Restricting or eliminating alcohol intake (alcohol elevates blood pressure when consumed)
- Losing body fat (even a 10lb weight loss can help reduce high blood pressure)
- Increasing fruit and vegetable intake (8-10 servings per day)
- Exercising regularly (aerobic exercises including walking, running, hiking, any continuous moderate intensity aerobic activity)
- Cutting back on animal products (meat, dairy, fish, eggs) to avoid saturated fats and cholesterol intake)
- Cutting back on sodium intake (table salt, cheese, meat, processed foods)
- Increasing consumption of ground flax seeds (flax seed meal)
- Consuming an entirely whole-food plant-based diet
No matter where you are right now, you can improve your health by improving your lifestyle behaviors!
We are excited to share that our Live & Lead team is creating an online transformation course that will help people prevent, treat and reverse high blood pressure.
We need to understand that there are things in life we cannot control; but, we can make lifestyle changes to prevent and reverse high blood pressure.