10 Ways to Start Lowering Your Blood Pressure Today
High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood against the blood vessel walls is too strong. High blood pressure can increase your risk of heart disease. Lowering your blood pressure with the following strategies can help protect your heart and keep you healthy.
1. Manage Your Weight
Research suggests that obesity contributes to high blood pressure. Maintaining a weight that's healthy for you may help lower blood pressure and reduce strain on the heart, as excess weight can make the heart work harder to pump blood.
As part of your weight management strategy, be sure to eat balanced meals with fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins and get regular physical activity. Even a small amount of weight loss through these approaches can help improve blood pressure if you have excess weight.
2. Get Enough Regular Activity
Getting enough physical activity can help lower high blood pressure. Research suggests that sitting less and taking short breaks to walk or stand can make a difference, too. Some people lowered their blood pressure significantly just by moving more throughout the day.
Talk to a healthcare provider about how much exercise may be right for you.
