Lower Weight, Lower Blood Pressure

You know that maintaining a healthy weight is good for you, but it’s more than good for you – it could be a matter of life and death. Besides the fact that you’ll look and feel great, being at your ideal weight can also help you avoid numerous serious health risks, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, certain cancers, and, yes, high blood pressure. Lowering or avoiding high blood pressure is important because high blood pressure is a contributing factor in such health problems as heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, sexual dysfunction, and more.

Being overweight increases your risk of developing a number of health problems, including high blood pressure. If you’re overweight, then losing even just a little can make a big difference. Even small weight loss can help improve or prevent high blood pressure in many individuals, making this a nearly-instant gratification endeavour. Being overweight also puts extra strain on your heart, raising your risk for high blood pressure and causing damage to your blood vessels, resulting in serious threats to your health.

Losing weight may not be easy, but it is simple. There are no secret formulas. The rules include eating less, eating whole foods, and exercising more. Try making small changes at first, such as increasing your level of physical activity gradually until you are meeting or exceeding half an hour a day or so of exercise. Choose unprocessed whole foods and lots of plant foods over junk foods and processed, packaged foods.

You can also make an effort to consume less sodium, which will help; this will usually happen naturally when you remove most processed foods from your diet. Increasing fibre and decreasing fat are also helpful. When you reach your goal weight, you can then reassess and determine the best dietary and fitness choices that will help you maintain your new, healthy weight.

Like most new habits, eating well and exercising often can be challenging but are made easier by a solid support network. Let your family, friends, and doctors know about your goals and how they can help. Having them on board can encourage and motivate you to keep going. Lowering your blood pressure by losing weight is very effective and well worth the effort