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Lifestyle Changes
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We are all guilty of messing with our health by making bad choices and having bad habits that we need to change. By introducing a few basic lifestyle changes, we can avoid developing High Blood Pressure, or at least improve the situation if it already exists.
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5 Basic Lifestyle Changes for good health
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- Start by being More Active.
- Keep to a Healthy Weight.
- Eat more Fruit, Vegetables, and Oily Fish.
- Avoid Alcohol, Caffeine and Smoking
- Reduce your Intake of Salt and Sugar.
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Increasing your activity levels and a change of diet will help you lose weight, and help control your blood pressure.
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 Insider Secrets to Holistic Wellbeing
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read more about Cardiovascular Disease
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read more about Diabetes
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Contact Renaissance Retreat
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The materials in this page are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor.
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What does Blood Pressure Actually Mean ?
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 We often hear people talking about having high blood pressure, but what does it actually mean, and is it really that important what your reading tells you? Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the flow of blood through the arteries. Your Blood is pumped round the body by the heart by contracting and relaxing.
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When the heart contracts, it forces blood through the arteries and pushes the pressure of the blood to the highest point -
Systolic Pressure.
When the heart relaxes between beats, blood pressure is at its lowest – Diastolic Pressure.
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The two pressures are written as two numbers, with the higher pressure first. Normal blood pressure is having a blood pressure reading that is above 120 over 80 (120/80), but below 140 over 90 (140/90). If you’ve had a heart attack, stroke, have diabetes, or diagnosed with coronary heart disease, your blood pressure should be below 130/80. You should have your blood pressure measured so that you know what your normal reading is.
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High Blood Pressure
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High blood pressure – or hypertension – means that your blood pressure readings are consistently 140/90, or higher, over a number of weeks. You may also have high blood pressure if just one of the numbers is higher than it should be. This higher pressure puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels. Over time your heart may become abnormally large and beat less effectively, and this extra strain increases your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
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High Blood Pressure and Your Health
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High blood pressure can also cause kidney disease, and is closely linked to some forms of dementia. It can also cause peripheral arterial disease, which can affect your legs. If in addition to high blood pressure you have other health conditions, such as diabetes or high cholesterol, this increases your risk of health problems even more. It is then even more important to lower your high blood pressure.
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Causes of High Blood Pressure
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 For most people, there may be no single cause for their high blood pressure. We do not know exactly what causes it, but we do know that your lifestyle can affect your risk of developing it, and the following can play a part:
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- Not Enough Exercise
- Being Overweight
- Eating too much Salt
- Drinking too much Alcohol
- Smoking
- Not eating enough Fruit and Vegetables
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It’s Not Too Late
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By making the necessary lifestyle changes to reduce the risk factors mentioned above, the effects of high blood pressure can be reversed. Even if you don't have high blood pressure, taking steps to reduce the risks now may prevent you developing it in the future.
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Get Checked Out
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High blood pressure usually has no signs or symptoms, so the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have yours measured. Many things can affect your blood pressure through the day, so your doctor will take a number of blood pressure readings to see that it stays high over time. If your blood pressure remains high, your doctor is likely to prescribe medication to control it and to protect your heart.
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read more about the Weight Loss Programme
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