Natural Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure

Like anything else, blood pressure can go high or low, but in America, obviously we have had a huge problem with high blood pressure and the related heart problems in many of our citizens. It has gotten out of control, and blood pressure medication is among the most common prescriptions across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently went so far as to call it public health enemy number two. Smoking was apparently #1. What it does tell us is that we need to do something. We can’t continue to ignore it, and fighting obesity and smoking could both be valid parts of this process. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the prescription treatments, but what if you could help yourself naturally and not have that extra concern?

1. Eat Less Salt, But Don’t Eat Bland: Personally, I eat salt on everything, and I still have perpetually low blood pressure. It’s a genetic thing. But this said, there are too many people with blood pressure problems who are just told to stop eating salt altogether, or to seriously lower their salt intake to dangerously low points. Frankly, new research is finding that if you don’t get enough salt, it can actually cause similar heart issues, and nobody really wants to eat all that bland food. So it makes it harder to stick to. Sea salt can really pack a greater salty punch. Just don’t overdo it.
2. Eat Mineral-Packed Meals That Regulate Blood Pressure: Yes, you can skip on the salt to a certain degree, but you shouldn’t forget about your nutrients. In particular, many people don’t get enough minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium, and these can all help you to control your blood pressure. Blood pressure is based on a complicated metric, it’s not just about salt. Aim for 1,200mg of calcium, 4,700mg of potassium, and 420mg of magnesium daily. It would be ideal if you could get this from foods rather than supplements as it absorbs better just to start.
3. Take a Walk: Take a 20 minute walk 3 days a week. I know, initially exercise has the ability to raise your blood pressure. However, regular fast to moderate walking can actually lower your blood pressure, and you can burn some extra calories at the same time. This will also help you to maintain the same results for a longer period of time.
4. Strength Training Twice Weekly: If you participate in regular strength training to build healthy muscle, it will help you to lower your blood pressure and also lose weight. It increases your metabolism naturally, and anybody can do it. You can start with lighter weights and choose how you progress.
5. Lose Weight: One of the biggest things that can raise your blood pressure and make it harder to lower it is being overweight or obese. There are plenty of things that go into losing weight including diet and exercise, and both these methods and the act of losing weight will help you to lower your blood pressure.
6. Track Your Blood Pressure: One of the biggest barriers that many face is lying to themselves. They don’t actually know where they are, or where their blood pressure is. So how do you know if you are actually improving or making progress? You don’t. Research has shown that you can actually lower your blood pressure by a few points by tracking it, which logically leads to changes in behavior or greater accountability.