Lowering Blood Pressure (Cont.)

 
Losing Weight
If you are overweight, losing weight can help when lowering blood pressure. Carrying extra weight puts additional strain on your heart. Also, as people gain weight, their blood pressure tends to rise. Losing weight can make high blood pressure drop back down. To lose weight while lowering blood pressure, a low-fat, low-cholesterol, and low-salt diet is usually recommended, along with an exercise program.
 
(Click Weight and High Blood Pressure for more information on how weight loss can help in lowering blood pressure.)
 
Becoming More Physically Active
Regular exercise has been shown to lower blood pressure. Many people think this means having to do a lot of strenuous exercise every day, but this is a myth. A moderate exercise program will help keep your heart and blood vessels in shape and helps in lowering blood pressure. The American Heart Association even classifies walking at a brisk pace for 30 to 60 minutes, three days a week, as "regular physical activity." 
 
(Click Exercise and High Blood Pressure for more information on exercise and blood pressure reduction.)
 
Reducing Your Salt Intake
Lowering blood pressure may require changing what you put into your body. One such ingredient is salt. Salt and high blood pressure go hand in hand, because salt can make your blood vessels and body tissues swell and fill with fluid. This puts an extra strain on your heart and can increase blood pressure.
 
(Click Salt and High Blood Pressure for more information on reducing salt intake as a way of lowering blood pressure.)
(Lowering Blood Pressure Continued: Page 3)

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD