High Blood pressure

High Blood pressure also known as hypertension has been dubed the silent killer because it can go uncontrolled with no outward symptoms.  Hypertension increases your risk for serious health problems including heart attack, and stroke.  Fortunately getting a blood pressure taken is easy and accessable(most pharmacies in grocery stores even have a testing device available).  And more importantly there are steps you can take to prevent this silent killer from raging its wrath upon you!

1.) Get to and/or maintain a health weight

2.) Get physically active 5days w/30+minutes is a good goal to set

3.) If you smoke, stop there are lots of programs out there and the more times you try the more likely statisticly you are to be successful!

4.) Keep salt/sodium intake to a minimum; just stopping to add salt very possibly wont be enough, processed foods and restaurants especially fast food restaurants are very high in sodium cutting down on them can make a huge impact on intake. 5.) Make sure you are getting enough potassium rich foods: bananas, Cantaloupe, tomatoes, and spinich just to name a few.

6.) Maintain healthy level of vitamin D

7.) Keep alcohol consumption minimal

8.) Get stress level under control (the exercise should help with this)

For more in depth explanation Mayoclinic.com lays it out very well.

photocredit:a.drian