It’s Blood Pressure Week, so we’re focusing on how you can keep your blood pressure healthy - whether that’s through diet, exercise or taking care of your mental health. So, let’s take a deep dive into what it takes to keep your blood pressure low and your heart healthy.
What is Blood Pressure Week?
Taking place between 2nd - 8th September, Blood Pressure Week (or Know Your Numbers! Week) is an annual event that encourages people to take control of their blood pressure and health. Known as a ‘silent killer’, high blood pressure (or hypertension) can be serious if left untreated so it’s vital you know what your blood pressure is so you can either maintain a healthy blood pressure or work on lowering it.
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What causes high blood pressure?
In terms of lifestyle, there are number of factors that can lead to higher blood pressure.
Too much salt?
Love adding salt to your food? It might be time to put the salt shaker down, as eating too much is one of the main causes of high blood pressure. In fact, lowering the amount of salt you eat is one of the best ways you can lower your blood pressure.
Quit smoking
A bit of a no-brainer, but smoking can raise your blood pressure too. So, if you’re worried about your health, it might be worth quitting. And hey, your lungs and heart will thank you for it too.
Being overweight
Struggling with your weight? Being overweight is also often linked to high blood pressure, as well as other health issues like diabetes and heart disease.
Too much alcohol
According to Blood Pressure UK, alcohol is linked to a fifth of high blood pressure cases. Thankfully, there are a lot of low to zero alcohol options out that - including non-alcoholic gin and beer.
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Am I at risk of high blood pressure?
Outside of lifestyle, there are also a number of unavoidable factors that can lead to higher blood pressure, such as…
Age
Unfortunately, as we get older our blood pressure also tends to rise. According to Blood Pressure UK, up to 5 out of every 100 16-24-year-olds have high blood pressure, but by the time they’ve reached 65-64 more than half of them have it.
Gender
This is actually linked to age too. Up to the age of 65, men usually have higher blood pressure, but between the ages 65-74 it’s women who tend to have higher blood pressure.
Family history
Has someone in your family struggled with high blood pressure in the past? Then you’re more likely to develop it yourself, so it’s good to keep track of your blood pressure and take care of your health.
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Natural ways to lower blood pressure
You’ll be happy to hear there are a number of ways you can help to lower your blood pressure naturally, before you consider taking medicine.
Regular exercise
Keeping fit and active is not only a great way of keeping in shape, it’s also a key way of keeping your blood pressure low. Try taking lunchtime walks to start with, and slowly increase the amount of exercise you do - whether that's Couch to 5K or regular gym sessions.
Eating plenty of fruit and veg
Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, and generally fab for your health, upping the amount of fruit and veg in your diet is a great (and tasty) way of lowering your blood pressure.
Top tip: make sure that 50% of your plate is veggies!
Take time to relax
Meditation and mindfulness are not only great for your mental health, but they can also have a positive effect on your physical health, too. Feeling stressed? Try taking 10 minutes to meditate - your blood pressure will thank you for it.
Low-fat diet
Foods rich in fat are a big no-no when it comes to lowering your blood pressure, so it might be time to make some healthy swaps. Think low-calorie oil spray instead of vegetable oil and 0% Greek yoghurt over full-fat - these are both easy swaps you can make without missing out on flavour.
Want some recipe inspo? Then check out some of our delicious, low-fat recipes here.
Eat more potassium-rich foods
Potassium is a mineral that’s great for helping you to lower your blood pressure. Potassium can be found in a number of foods, such as bananas, potatoes, avocados, spinach, broccoli, dried fruits, and beet greens. It’s also one of the key ingredients in our meal replacements, playing a starring role in our list of 169 health benefits.
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Get checked out
As we said earlier in the blog, high blood pressure can be a ‘silent killer’. It has little to no symptoms, and often goes undiagnosed. The best way to keep on top of your blood pressure is by being checked regularly - especially if you’re at risk.
Getting your blood pressure checked is quick and painless - your local GP will simply secure a blood pressure cuff around your arm and will either manually pump it (or use an electric monitor) until it’s tight enough to read your blood pressure. They’ll then release it and make a note of your blood pressure, letting you know if there’s an issue. All in all, it’ll probably take less than 5 minutes.
Being diagnosed with high blood pressure can be scary initially, but it doesn’t have to be. You can make small changes to your diet and lifestyle and see BIG changes in your health. We hope this blog has both inspired and informed you when it comes to taking control of your blood pressure. And remember, if you’re worried, get checked out.