Further to the Part-1 of this article, here are some more steps to guide you to maintain your blood pressure.
• Watch your minerals intake: Studies have established that some minerals like potassium, an electrolyte that helps in maintaining body’s balance of salt and fluids, helps in ensuring normal blood pressure. Potassium can be found in fruits and vegetables, legumes and dairy products.
• Medical fraternity believes there is a link between calcium deficiency and hypertension. There adequate intake of calcium becomes necessary.
• Garlic: Recent studies have provided results of garlic intake as part of your diet helps in reducing blood pressure.
Apart from diet, in order to maintain normal blood pressure, other life style changes needs to be induced. You need to choose now between walking daily in a garden and start walking endlessly to your doctor later on. Any form of exercise according to your stamina and age is fine. You can choose vigorous exercises like going to gym and doing aerobic exercise, or swim or do few kilometers of cycling daily if you are young. Alternatively, you can just walk around the beach or garden while chatting with your friends if you are old. The underlying point here is to do the minimum basic workout required to keep your heart healthy and keeping your blood pressure normal.
Another deadly habit is smoking. There has been lot of global awareness on this count and now the authorities have started banning smoking in offices and public places. Make sure you quit on this habit or else be prepared to quit life. There can be no alternative than to eliminate this habit altogether.
Reduce Stress. Longer the stresses in you, chances are longer the impact on your blood pressure. If something or some event is really bothering you, why can’t you find solutions and make best of the given situation than to unduly worry about it. There is a tolerance limit for everything in life. Your body has enormous capacity to withstand shocks and pressures, but beyond a point, it starts to break. Make sure you are giving your body complete rest and not abusing it. Just like you take care of your precious car so that it does not make you stranded midway, make sure you do not overload your body and mind at any point of time.
If you are above 40, it is time to have a periodical check up for your blood pressure. Any underlying symptoms can be detected early and thus you will save yourself from lot of unwanted complications later on. If you are diganoised with hypertension, make sure you follow your doctor’s advice and take the required medication regularly. A simple harmless pill, which your doctor advises you, will allow you to lead a normal life. Do not underestimate the potential of that pill for god’s sake.
To summarize, below is the nutshell of what has been discussed in Part 1 and Part 2 of this article.
• Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits.
• Limit canned and processed foods especially which are more salty and having fat contents.
• Limit or avoid alcohol and caffeine
• Keep your weight down
• Watch your mineral intake
• Quit smoking
• Exercise daily
• Reduce stress
• Have periodical check up
• Follow medications and other advice from your doctor.
I hope after reading this, you would try to improve your quality of life by keeping normal blood pressure.
