# High blood pressure....



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

So I went into the dr. today simply to get a refill of a prescription and she says while you are here I want to check your blood pressure...and I am thinking okay what is that all about...she said it is high and she noticed at my last physical that it was high last fall...so she wanted to check it again.

So she said to me keep track of your blood pressure for the next month noting day and time and let me know as you might have to be on medication...

I am thinking WTF...that is my worst fear I am 47 and other than being about 40 lbs over weight no other issues....well I guess if I needed an ass kicking to lose this weight and get in shape that is it....kind of scary in a way but maybe that is what I need.

I don't smoke, rarely drink, eat lots of fruit and vegetables, etc. I do exercise regularly however my eating can be out of control at times and I do enjoy the salty snacks I admit I also just signed up for a eating healthy workshop next month too. 

Wow I guess I am starting to see how my weight gain is starting to affect my body...scary Plus I refuse to have to take medication I would rather make a lifestyle change first.


----------



## brooklynAnn (Jun 29, 2015)

My H who is very active has developed HBP. So, now we are watch what he eats like crazy. For him he has a family history of heart disease. But you got to eat better and lose about 10 lbs even will help. Getting older sucks.


----------



## john117 (May 20, 2013)

How high? I was usually at 140/90 five years ago and with benazapril down to 125-130/80... I do have 20-25 extra lb at 56.


----------



## BlueWoman (Jan 8, 2015)

Yoga. 

I'm not kidding. Just some simple breathing exercises can help lower your blood pressure. I am more than 40 pound over weight, and have struggled with blood pressure issues as well. But yoga and meditation has really helped me lower my blood pressure. It also helped lose some weight...so there's that.


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

It was at 145/98...I checked it after at the drugstore and that is what was printed out...so bordering right at high I guess from the chart that was on the machine...

Yeah I took yoga last fall..I might do another session this spring.

I do exercise regularly...last week I averaged about 3.20 miles per day just in exercise...I walk the dog plus started kickboxing 3x per week about a month ago...so hopefully it will slowly go down in the next month or so


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

I found this...looks like my bp is stage 1 so beginning of high...

Is 145/98 Good Blood Pressure or High Blood Pressure?


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

So if you have no extra health issues...I don't smoke, no family history of heart problems, etc., etc. so extra weight of 45 lbs can put that much pressure on your blood pumping??? 

I think I have to drink more water as well...when I took yoga last fall she commented during certain poses that if your feet were cramping up you were dehydrated and my feet were always cramping up at times.


----------



## Vinnydee (Jan 4, 2016)

It would be a lot easier to reply to you if you told us your blood pressure reading. There is high and then there is dangerously high. I have had high blood pressure for the last 15 years. Twice they tried all the drugs they had, on me and twice my blood pressure did not go down significantly. I also got side effects from all of them and the last one, a diuretic, put me in the hospital for 8 days when it caused kidney stones. One stone got lodged somewhere where it festered and infected half of my chest. Every since then I take my own blood pressure. I not know what to do when the doctors all use the same drugs and I get the same results. I have drug resistant high blood pressure but every new doctor I go to thinks that by giving me the same drugs, the results will be different. Even if one of the drugs worked, the side effects would not be worth it. One of them, I think the alpha blocker, put me in the emergency room with a migraine and I never get headaches. The docs there told me to discontinue the drug because I had one of its side effects.

I have to die of something. I am 65 and watched 3 friends have heart attacks and each of them went to the gym a few times a week and ate healthy. One of them had a table filled with all sorts of supplements and vitamins. Yet on his way home he had a heart attack in his car and drove it into a tree. Luckily for him, very luckily, there was an off duty policemen behind him and he crawled through the moon roof to get in and do CPR until the ambulance arrived. It was major heart attack and the guy was the healthiest friend I know. I live with retired people and some die every day, even the ones who are trim and have normal blood pressure. My wife is 100 lbs and eats healthy. Yet she is the one with high cholesterol and all sorts of problem. I am overweight and have not even had a cold for the last 15 years. All of my family lives into their late 90's despite a poor lifestyle and staying away from doctors until they have no choice. Lots of the drugs they give have unknown long term side effects. Over 200,000 people die of medical mistakes every year and yet no one dares go after the drug companies and medical centers. Yet they mobilize the nation to stop gun violence when guns kill a small fraction of that number of people.


----------



## EVG39 (Jun 4, 2015)

Like Vinny's post points to, our genetic history is something that must be accounted for. Try as we might, there is much truth in simply recognizing that everyone's baseline is different. You aren't going to outrun it. I say this not to be fatalistic at all, but to encourage us all to take seriously the genetic hand you have been dealt and build accordingly from that foundation. Make yourself a genetic family tree, look for patterns, and share with your doc. It will much more likely save your life than running a marathon. Remember what happened to poor old Pheidippides!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## BBF (May 21, 2015)

I'm nearly 70. Have a family history of high bp. Three years ago had trouble maintaining 145/80 range with two meds. Quit alcohol. Lost 40 pounds. Gym 4X a week at minimum. Better but not fanatic eating changes. Bp now in 115/68 range and am only on Lisinophril. 

I feel great. Have a vigorous life. Only problem; wish my wife who's 10 years younger, were in better shape. 

New research indicates 140 is definitely high.


----------



## Openminded (Feb 21, 2013)

Some people have considerably higher blood pressure in a doctor's office than they do at home. I'm one who does so I have a blood pressure monitor my doctor recommended and I have taken my blood pressure every day for years. It's always very low -- except when I'm in the doctor's office. 

If I went only by what my blood pressure is in the doctor's office, I would be on medication. But every time I go in I take my monitor with me as evidence my blood pressure is great everywhere but there. No medication necessary.


----------



## sapientia (Nov 24, 2012)

Lose the weight. Your BP will come down. This won't get any better as you age.


----------



## Lloyd Dobler (Apr 24, 2014)

Openminded said:


> Some people have considerably higher blood pressure in a doctor's office than they do at home. I'm one who does so I have a blood pressure monitor my doctor recommended and I have taken my blood pressure every day for years. It's always very low -- except when I'm in the doctor's office.
> 
> If I went only by what my blood pressure is in the doctor's office, I would be on medication. But every time I go in I take my monitor with me as evidence my blood pressure is great everywhere but there. No medication necessary.


Spot on with this observation. I'm one of those people, and my old doctor (I got rid of him because I never felt comfortable going to him) put me on a 24 hour blood pressure monitor when I told him my BP was only high in his office. The results showed that was actually true.

Now, that being said, my BP has always been borderline high and I'm 51 now so with my new doctor I finally consented to go on BP medicine. I'm on the smallest dose of Lisinopril available, but what's gotten my BP under control more than the medicine is regular exercise. I finally bought a home blood pressure monitor and I noticed that when I am exercising regularly (3-4 times a week), my blood pressure is in the 120/80 range. When my exercise is sporadic, it creeps up to the 130/90 range and sometimes above. So now I know that if I don't continually exercise, my BP goes up, so I live my life accordingly.


----------



## Wolf1974 (Feb 19, 2014)

could it be stress and genetic related? That's the kind I have. When I went through my divorce I got high blood pressure. Like you I'm in the dr. Office getting this news I have to go on pills and I'm telling her nope I don't want pills I will fix this. I wasn't ever overweight but my eating sucked. I was living in hotel rooms for awhile and others peoples couches so my X could stay in the house with the kids. Was around this time I manned up and went home, started working out like crazy, changed my diet. 3 months later I'm back in the dr office and my BP is worse and on pills I went, I was 37 years old. For some its weight but others it's just genetic and matter of time unfortunately. I also work a high stress job and that doesn't help but it is what it is.

Now I tell you this to reassure you on the other side, if you do have to get on these it's really not that bad. They do make me feel better, no more ringing in my ears, no more pounding in my chest, no more headaches. What will be equally frustrating is that you body will eventually adapt to these pills and the doasge will have to increase, in the last 5 years I have had to increase dosage once. I have resigned myself that I will be on these stupid things for the rest of my life but it isn't as bad as you think. Just wanted to give you that perspective in case you go back and have to go on them. I get the feeling Dr.'s hear this "I will fix it myself" thing a lot but few really can or have the ability to. Just don't feel like a failure if you can't .


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

Is it mandatory that you have to be put on medication? I am also thinking that I need to up my water intake...I know I do not get enough water thru the day...so starting today I will ensure I drink one liter at work today as well I brought some green tea for me to sip on thru the day as well.


Do not think it is genetic as my parents did not have high bp......

I know I do like the salty foods however not drinking enough water thru the day probably does not help cleaning out the system....


----------



## Rowan (Apr 3, 2012)

Also, don't underestimate how much stress and anxiety in your daily life can raise your blood pressure. I was on medication for high blood pressure at age 35, and it was still a bit out of control. Within 6 months of my divorce, I was able to come off the medication and keep my blood pressure within normal range. No diet changes, no big weight loss, no increase in exercise. I did take up yoga, but that was after my doctor had taken me off the medication. I would not have said I was very stressed, but that was because the baseline stress in my life was so high all the time that I just thought it was normal.


----------



## Wolf1974 (Feb 19, 2014)

It's not mandatory, they can't force you to do anything. But it has long lasting effects on your health and going unchecked can cause strokes and heat attacks, not worth the risk. Also if you have a diagnosed medical condition and apply for insurance, let's say you move to a new job, they can deny you medical insurance based on an "untreated medical condition"

here is a link with more information

High blood pressure dangers: Hypertension's effects on the body - Mayo Clinic


----------



## Wolf1974 (Feb 19, 2014)

Rowan said:


> Also, don't underestimate how much stress and anxiety in your daily life can raise your blood pressure. I was on medication for high blood pressure at age 35, and it was still a bit out of control. Within 6 months of my divorce, I was able to come off the medication and keep my blood pressure within normal range. No diet changes, no big weight loss, no increase in exercise. I did take up yoga, but that was after my doctor had taken me off the medication. I would not have said I was very stressed, but that was because the baseline stress in my life was so high all the time that I just thought it was normal.


That's amazing that you could! I was never able to. My doctor described it as a car rolling down hill. Once it starts something significant is needed to make it stop. My started due to high stress, a gift from divorce but better than the STD I thought she might have give me lol, but it was enough to get that car rolling and only medication with control it now.


----------



## Vinnydee (Jan 4, 2016)

You are so right. The other thing is that doctors know things for certain about 40% of the time. The rest is from poor studies which is why you hear them changing what is good and bad every year. An example is that a greater percentage of people with high blood pressure die from heart attacks. However those who have high blood pressure may lead a different lifestyls than others. In other words, there is no direct proof since people with normal blood pressure die. You can do the same study and find that more who drink Coke, than Pepsi die of heart attacks. Same with high Cholesterol. There is no direct evidence that it causes heart problem. Just that more who have it get more heart attacks but again, the studies do not look at any lifestyle factors that may be the real problem. The last time my wife was given an injection of a drug to fix a problem that she did not have, I had to take her to urgent care bent over in pain. Two doctors and one surgeon misdiagnosed her and put her through hell because of it. All she needed was a new hip which doctor #4 easily diagnosed and tested for. Since her hip replacement she is no longer in pain or being treated for the other thing they said she had. 

I have had two doctor friends and both told me to stay away from doctors as much as possible. That is why doctors are the worst patients. They know that a lot of stuff is just by the book and unnecessary. I also learned that a doctor is a businessman. If he buys a piece of equipment he has to figure out how many patients need to use it in order to pay the loan back and all of a sudden, something he never checked for, is being checked. I actually heard a doctor on the phone discussing how he needed to fill two more appointments for a test he gave one day each week. Then he comes in to me and tells me that he will not renew my prescriptions not related to the test at all, until I take the test. I had a shouting match with him and his nurse telling his patients that he blackmails patients. I have had wrong nuclear tests done on me, misdiagnosed several time and sufferer severe side effects. I get side effects from almost ever drug I take. You will notice a lot of mistakes in my posts. I have a very high IQ and wrote a book and had my own magazine column. I know how to write an use the english language but some of the drugs I take muddle my mind and blur my vision. They also effect me in other ways but I need them. It is always a choice to live with the medical problem or side effects. I do not know if anyone has noticed but drugs these days take the shotgun approach. They do not just attack the disease, They attack everything else too.

Take a look at what is required to get a drug passed by the FDA. First off you only need to beat the results from a placebo by a small margin. I was floored by the large percentage of people who were cured by just taking a sugar pill that they thought was a real drug to cure them. You have to think that if 40% of your test subjects are cured by taking a sugar pill, perhaps we should be looking for ways to cure ourselves without drugs. Anyway, drug companies can keep on testing and only take the results from the test that are in their favor. In other words, you can have ten tests done and 6 of them show your drug does no better or worse than a Placebo but as long as you have 4 to present to the FDA that show a marginal increase in health compared to those who took a placebo, you can get your drug passed. There are drugs we take that no one knows how they work. I can tell you lots of horror stories about doctors, hospitals and drugs. I got a staff infection one time and had to go into isolation for 8 days. The people who attended to me had to wear those hazard suits like they do for people with Ebola. Funny thing was that I felt fine and kept thinking that maybe they were wrong. One more thing, one of my doctor friends told me that 80% of his patients who see him, would get better even if they received no medical attention. People still go to doctors when they have a viral infection like the flu. There is nothing they can do but prescribe stuff to alleviate the symptoms. You can buy most of that stuff over the counter. My wife runs to the doctor for every little thing and I use WebMD. Every mole is pre-cancerous and they try to scare you with the "C" word around her. I told my doc that my whole body was pre cancerous. He told me that if I do not have surgery my chances to get cancer are doubled. To many people, they will hear that and get the surgery. After all, double your chances is a lot. Is it? My chances were 1% so without the surgery it went up to 2%. 

Look at any medical information you hear or see on TV. They never tell you what you odds are. They just say things like 3 times the risk, cut your risk in half, etc.. Most times the risk is so low that even if tripled, would not be high. Then you hear, "Isn't it better to get the surgery or take the pills to be on the safe side?" Yeah doc. If you are that concerned about it, how about treating me for free. They won't do that because for many doctors, not all, it is a business and they need to find the smallest reason to get you coming back over and over again. Enough of this. 

Genetics does play a big role. When I refuse invasion tests my doctors ask me why I am not concerned enough to take the test as a preventive measure. I tell them too things; I have no symptoms and if I have it, I will be the first person in my family to ever get it. My family history shows all the men getting heart attacks and surviving them. I am over due but I quit smoking a long time ago. Despite my family history of heart attacks, not one doctor has suggested even an EKG. They are more interested in those test that they make money from. Not all, but a lot of the ones who work for medical centers where they have quotas.


----------



## UMP (Dec 23, 2014)

At 44 I had the bright idea to stop all medications. I wanted to be free of pharma.
Had a nearly life ending heart attack a couple weeks later.
Medication CAN be your friend.

Personally, I would take the BP meds first and then make the changes necessary to get the doctor to say "now that you've made these lifestyle changes, let's get you off the medicine and see how it goes." Medicine can prevent disaster, now. Lifestyle changes take much more time to take effect, which will not help in a short term "event."

Good intentions don't keep your heart beating.

Just my 2 cents.


----------



## WonkyNinja (Feb 28, 2013)

highwood said:


> So I went into the dr. today simply to get a refill of a prescription and she says while you are here I want to check your blood pressure...and I am thinking okay what is that all about...she said it is high and she noticed at my last physical that it was high last fall...so she wanted to check it again.
> 
> So she said to me keep track of your blood pressure for the next month noting day and time and let me know as you might have to be on medication...
> 
> ...


I'm in the same position although it appears to be a medication change that put it really high. 

Mine was really good but steadily climbed over the last year or so. When I used an app to plot my weight and BP vs time the weight and BP graphs were almost an exact parallel as I allowed my weight to climb.

Some BP issues are genetic but lifestyle is a big factor. I'm making sure I drink loads of water and starting daily exercise (about 35lbs overweight) although I generally eat pretty healthy.

If you are getting a BP meter the ones that cost $80-$90 in CVS and Walgreens are about $35 on Amazon.


----------



## Blonde (Jan 7, 2013)

I have high bp and I am not overweight.

My mom had high bp starting at age 40 and she was not overweight. 
Dad has it but he is overweight.

I am also a nurse. 
Nurse hat on:
There are lots and lots of good medications to control bp and it is worth taking them because long term high bp is very hard on lots of different parts of your body and will cause damage. My mom died from vascular dementia and congestive heart failure. The vascular dementia is scariest to me- all that high pressure in the blood vessels of the brain is damaging.

I could not tolerate metoprolol- it made me too tired and reduced libido. But after some experimentation I am on two different meds which together keep my bp within normal range.

Losing weight and exercise is a good decision but don't put your head in the sand and fail to take advantage of meds to control high bp if the doctor says they are indicated.


----------



## EnjoliWoman (Jul 2, 2012)

Depends on the person. I was borderline high. Started dieting and working out. Lost 60. Had a rough year and gained back 25. Funny thing? BP is even lower now. I attribute it to continuing to exercise and I mean seriously aerobic - jogging. It was actually down to 120/60 when I donated blood a month ago. So borderline high doesn't mean it has to STAY that way once you make lifestyle changes. 

And if it doesn't drop, that's OK - just take the medication. It's not defeat. Some of us have health issues we cannot control with diet and exercise - most of us, actually, at some point in our life.


----------



## Hope1964 (Sep 26, 2011)

I've been on metoprilol for a long time, probably 8 or 10 years now. I finally bought a BP monitor for home use a couple months ago because I figured it was higher in the drs office too, but it showed that is only marginally true. When I am on my meds it's about 125/75, when it's time to take my meds it's 145/90 which is what it always shows up as at the dr office.

Anyway a home monitor is a really good thing, mine was $60 at Costco. And the meds are fine too, I'd rather take them than have the health problems that you can get from not being on them. If I ever smarten up and lose a few pounds maybe I can get off of them but knowing myself I will do what was suggested above and take the meds then do the lifestyle changes and then see.


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

Hope1964 said:


> I've been on metoprilol for a long time, probably 8 or 10 years now. I finally bought a BP monitor for home use a couple months ago because I figured it was higher in the drs office too, but it showed that is only marginally true. When I am on my meds it's about 125/75, when it's time to take my meds it's 145/90 which is what it always shows up as at the dr office.
> 
> Anyway a home monitor is a really good thing, mine was $60 at Costco. And the meds are fine too, I'd rather take them than have the health problems that you can get from not being on them. If I ever smarten up and lose a few pounds maybe I can get off of them but knowing myself I will do what was suggested above and take the meds then do the lifestyle changes and then see.


She told me to monitor it for a month then let her know then at that time she will decide if I need medication....yes if she suggests it then of course I will go on it...and make some lifestyle changes...which is mainly losing weight.

I do exercise regularly but my eating has led to being overweight by about 40 lbs and I know I do not drink enough water...I knew that last fall when the yoga instructor told me at one point the reason my foot was cramping was lack of hydration...

So today I drank about 1 litre of water and about four cups of green tea...definently peeing more today...drinking lots more water will have to be something I will have to be vigilant about from this point on...


----------



## VermisciousKnid (Dec 27, 2011)

I had so called 'borderline high' BP and wanted to believe that 'white coat syndrome' was making my BP read higher than it actually was. 

My doctor humored me for a couple of years while I refused to consider medication and promised to make lifestyle changes. I made some changes like eating better and exercising more, but it didn't help that much. 

So I went on medications (Lisinopril, amlodipine) and that did the trick. BP normal. 

Looking at it objectively, if I was stressed at the doctor then I was probably stressed enough at other times to make my BP go up too high. White coat syndrome was a lie I told myself because I was in denial. 

The other thing is that they are revising the numbers downward for what 'borderline high' is. 135/95 used to be called borderline high but that diastolic number (95) is now thought to be damaging if it is maintained over the long term.


----------



## WonkyNinja (Feb 28, 2013)

While healthy lifestyle is clearly a good long term prospect even if it doesn't achieve the whole objective taking needed meds is better than your family looking at a headstone "Here lies Dave. He said that he didn't need any medications".


----------



## sidney2718 (Nov 2, 2013)

I have the "white coat" effect also. My doctor proved it to me by taking my BP at the start of a visit and again at the end.

That said, we are all different and react differently to different things. But take the medical hype with a grain of salt. Many of the studies that show that certain "normal" readings are too high were funded by pharmaceutical companies.

I've seen the blood pressure recommendations change several times --- always lower. I also have type 2 diabetes and I've seen the boarder between "normal" and "diabetic" change several times, again always lower.

The most important thing is to find a doctor you trust and can talk to. That's hard. And rest assured that if you live long enough you'll come down with all sorts of interesting problems. I'm 82 and know about that.


----------



## katiecrna (Jan 29, 2016)

I'm sorry if this sounds bad... But your getting up there is that age where it's the survival of the fittest. The really unhealthy ones start to have heart attacks and strokes in their late 40s. This is a good wake up call for you. It's time to get 100% healthy, mind body and soul. Exercise, eat write, practice something that will help you de stress like yoga or somthing, make sure you sleep 7-8hrs a night. Health encompasses not only your physical body but your mind as well. Don't stress out about it, be lucky that you caught it before somthing serious happened. 

My husband is a doctor, super healthy, runs and eats good. He has high blood pressure bc he is the most tightly wond person I know, he is like always stressed out. He is a perfect example of only being physically healthy.


----------



## autopilot (Mar 16, 2012)

highwood said:


> I do exercise regularly...last week I averaged about 3.20 miles per day just in exercise...I walk the dog


If you are averaging 3.2 miles per day and you've gained 45 pounds, your "exercise" must only be casual walking and not real cardio. Understand that your body adjusts to your habits and unless you are truly pushing yourself that your motabolism may not have really changed. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gained 45 pounds by averaging that much "exercise".

Salt and the lack of water intake can have some serious consequences to your weight gain and increase in blood pressure. You are probably retaining fluid from all the salt that will be flushed out with an increase in hydration and a decrease in salt intake.

The increase in water consumption, decrease in salt, moderation in your eating and increased actual cardio will have a dramatic effect on your weight loss and your blood pressure.


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

autopilot said:


> If you are averaging 3.2 miles per day and you've gained 45 pounds, your "exercise" must only be casual walking and not real cardio. Understand that your body adjusts to your habits and unless you are truly pushing yourself that your motabolism may not have really changed. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gained 45 pounds by averaging that much "exercise".
> 
> Salt and the lack of water intake can have some serious consequences to your weight gain and increase in blood pressure. You are probably retaining fluid from all the salt that will be flushed out with an increase in hydration and a decrease in salt intake.
> 
> The increase in water consumption, decrease in salt, moderation in your eating and increased actual cardio will have a dramatic effect on your weight loss and your blood pressure.


I walk briskly...

As well I do kickboxing 3 x per week, started that about a month ago. For example this past weekend I did about 4 hours of brisk walking..including climbing a hill both Saturday and sunday which counted for about 12 flights of stairs one way going up...as per my fitbit.

The reason I gained weight was because of diet...it is not uncommon to exercise regularly and still gain weight.

I am pleased withmyself since I found out last Tuesday about my blood pressure...I upped my exercise (even though I did pretty good before), drank at least 10 cups of water per day and am getting in the habit of eating less at each meal (something I was working on before).....I like the fact that I am taking charge and this blood pressure thing is definently extra motivation to lose weight.


----------



## autopilot (Mar 16, 2012)

highwood said:


> I am pleased with myself since I found out last Tuesday about my blood pressure...I upped my exercise (even though I did pretty good before), drank at least 10 cups of water per day and am getting in the habit of eating less at each meal (something I was working on before).....I like the fact that I am taking charge and this blood pressure thing is definently extra motivation to lose weight.


Good for you. You'll see pretty immediate results with your new routine. Look up your target heart rate. The highest caloric burn and most efficient aerobic and cardio exercise is when you're at your target heart rate (about 65% of maximum based upon age and weight).

I also have issues with blood pressure. Proper exercise has more to do with keeping it under control than anything else. Because of my work schedule, I had recently lacked the time to stay with my normal exercise routine and could tell a difference in how I felt. Had my wife put a cuff on me to take my blood pressure (she's a nurse by profession) and it was 160/110. Alarming and so I dedicated to put more effort in exercise even though my schedule was and is so tight. Nothing else changed but that and my blood pressure has dropped from that measurement to 120/80 in about 3 weeks' time now that I've gotten back into a regular exercise routine.


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

autopilot said:


> Good for you. You'll see pretty immediate results with your new routine. Look up your target heart rate. The highest caloric burn and most efficient aerobic and cardio exercise is when you're at your target heart rate (about 65% of maximum based upon age and weight).
> 
> I also have issues with blood pressure. Proper exercise has more to do with keeping it under control than anything else. Because of my work schedule, I had recently lacked the time to stay with my normal exercise routine and could tell a difference in how I felt. Had my wife put a cuff on me to take my blood pressure (she's a nurse by profession) and it was 160/110. Alarming and so I dedicated to put more effort in exercise even though my schedule was and is so tight. Nothing else changed but that and my blood pressure has dropped from that measurement to 120/80 in about 3 weeks' time now that I've gotten back into a regular exercise routine.


Thanks

Yeah this definetnly has motivated me even more...I do pretty good on average for fruit and veggies but am making a point to eat at least one banana per day( supposedly they are good for lowering blood pressure)...It is kind of scary to think about the implications of not losing weight combined with high blood pressure...

I think too this has pushed me to up my water intake...hopefully cleansing my body of excess sodium, etc....most things we eat tend to have salt in them I noticed. I go back and see the doctor in two weeks and will bring my records of my blood pressure with me...if I have to go on medication that is fine...but my goal then will be to wean off of the medication.

Blood pressure is funny though...I was talking to a girl here at work and her blood pressure is fine and she has about the same weight I have to lose...so is it just weight? Although thinking about this...I know I did not drink enough water thru the day sometimes even after I exercised I would not drink any water....so if at times I was eating high sodium meals which I am sure I did many times the sodium was not being flushed out...


----------



## autopilot (Mar 16, 2012)

No, high blood pressure is not just about weight. A whole host of issues can lead to high blood pressure. The propensity of genetics probably has the highest degree factor. Some people just have better genes than others.

I'm from a family who has a genetic disposition to higher blood pressure (and we're all pretty healthy otherwise).

Probably your highest contributing factor is the sodium intake and lack of hydration. Proper hydration is incredibly important (carbonated drinks and caffeine are horrible for hydration) and lack of proper hydration can lead to many other internal issues. I'm not a doctor, so I'll just leave it at that.


----------



## autopilot (Mar 16, 2012)

highwood said:


> making a point to eat at least one banana per day( supposedly they are good for lowering blood pressure)


Don't go overboard on bananas. They may be good for lowering blood pressure but they are terrible on your waist (that did come from my doctor).


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

autopilot said:


> No, high blood pressure is not just about weight. A whole host of issues can lead to high blood pressure. The propensity of genetics probably has the highest degree factor. Some people just have better genes than others.
> 
> I'm from a family who has a genetic disposition to higher blood pressure (and we're all pretty healthy otherwise).
> 
> Probably your highest contributing factor is the sodium intake and lack of hydration. Proper hydration is incredibly important (carbonated drinks and caffeine are horrible for hydration) and lack of enough intake can lead to many other internal issues. I'm not a doctor, so I'll just leave it at that.


I agree with you...I know when I took yoga last fall one yoga pose that we did my foot was cramping up and she said that if your feet are cramping up you are not drinking enough water...so probably for a long time I have not been properly hydrated.


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

autopilot said:


> Don't go overboard on bananas. They may be good for lowering blood pressure but they are terrible on your waist (that did come from my doctor).


Well the way I look at it fast food/chips/candy/chocolate,etc. is a lot worse


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

So I have been tracking it pretty much everyday...I went on Monday and it was 166/104.....then I skipped Tuesday and then checked it yesterday and it was Normal...what they call high normal..it was 128\85...I was shocked...hmmmm maybe all this water/green tea, etc. I have been drinking over the last week+ has helped...


----------



## autopilot (Mar 16, 2012)

highwood said:


> So I have been tracking it pretty much everyday...I went on Monday and it was 166/104.....then I skipped Tuesday and then checked it yesterday and it was Normal...what they call high normal..it was 128\85...I was shocked...hmmmm maybe all this water/green tea, etc. I have been drinking over the last week+ has helped...


Absolutely. If you're drinking water AND green tea, that's the best combination of all. I just can't stand green tea, personally.


----------



## highwood (Jan 12, 2012)

autopilot said:


> Absolutely. If you're drinking water AND green tea, that's the best combination of all. I just can't stand green tea, personally.


LOL...it is not my fav either and I have it straight with no honey, etc....but at work seems easy to drink.


----------

