May is National Blood Pressure Awareness/High Blood Pressure Education Month. Thanks to Mitch and Valassis for sharing the following:
“What IS Blood Pressure, anyway? It is the force of blood against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps. When this pressure rises and stays high overtime, it can damage the body in many ways. Blood pressure measurement is listed with two numbers. Normal is less than 120/80, with 120 being the systolic blood pressure when the heart is pushing blood through the arterial system; and 80 being the diastolic blood pressure when the arteries are at rest and the heart is refilling. High blood pressure (hypertension) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart hisease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other health problems. High blood pressure is often called the silent killer because in the initial stages it presents with no symptoms. It is only after an organ in the body is irritated or damaged that the consequences of the high blood pressure are realized. The American Heart Association estimates high blood pressure affects approximately one in three adults in the United States – 73 million people!!! High blood pressure is also estimated to affect about two million American teen and children, and the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that many are under-diagnosed.”
Blood pressure can be effected by many things, but the easiest way we can keep our numbers in a healthy range are through….eating and exercise, of course! If you struggle with keeping your numbers in control, put down the salt shaker and stop eating all the processed crap! Stop making excuses for not exercising, there are too many options! If all else fails, put one foot in front of the other and get on a REGULAR walking program. If you have time to watch a television show, and almost everyone I ever met in my life, does, than you have time to do 30 minutes of daily exercise. Try a few minutes of meditation and make it part of your daily routine. While hypertension affects so many, it doesn’t have to, and YOU have much more control than you think. While I highly suggest reading The China Study, I understand it is extreme for many. At least go see Forks Over Knives if it is in a theatre near you. Consider the information. I just recently realized that the “knife” in this title, is the one in the operating room. What you put on your fork can keep you from ending up under the knife. Forks Over Knives.
The other important part of controlling blood pressure is finding peace in your heart. Yesterday, I found it really hard to “celebrate” the death of a man, no matter how bad a man he was. Death, murder, wishing bad things on anyone, these ideas do more to hurt oneself than anyone else. Thanks to Robin for sharing the following quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, which certainly reflects my feelings and those of many of YOU that regularly visit peaceandfitness.com
“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even and enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
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Related articles
- What Is Hypertension? (everydayhealth.com)
- 8 Fixes for High Blood Pressure (everydayhealth.com)
I love the MLK quote! Thanks for posting it!
Tweets were that MLK never said this-sound good to me though