Lowering your Blood Pressure

1) Watch the sodium Too much salt in your diet can make your blood pressure soar. If you have high BP, shoot for fewer than 1500mg of sodium a day. Most people eat more than 4000 mg, so there is a lot of room for improvement there. Try using herbs or spices rather than salt to add more flavors to your foods.

2) Measure your waist If you are a man with a waist over 40 inches or a woman with a waist over 35 inches, listen up! The fat held in your stomach is the worst kind of fat, the kind that affects your heart. Loosing just 10 pounds can reduce your blood pressure by several points.

3) Watch your stress level Most of us can feel our blood pressure rise when we get upset at work, or in a argument with a friend. Being able to identify what your stressors are and learning to cope will limit these spikes.

Your target blood pressure rate should be below 120/80 mm Hg.

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