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So, a little more than 3 weeks ago, I went to the doctor for my annual wellness visit. The only times I've been to the doctor in recent years has been when I was sick, so I was venturing into new territory here. At 41, I figured my blood pressure would be on the high side, as both of my parents take meds for it. Couple that with the fact that I didn't eat the best or exercise much other than walking here and there during the day (nothing sustained) and it wasn't a huge shock when my BP was measured at 150 / 90. Since I was not experiencing any other symptoms and I stated that I would prefer not to start with meds, the doctor said, "Ok, stop back in a month and we'll check your BP again. Change your diet, try to exercise, and we'll go from there." They also did a blood draw and the numbers came back normal a few days later.
I did a little research when I got home and found the DASH diet (very similar to Mediterranean diet) that was specifically designed for hypertension about 20 years ago. It has been ranked as the #1 eating plan in the world for several years and there's a reason for it. It works.
I went out and bought a home BP monitor to keep track and collect data for when I return to the doctor. I changed my diet completely. Now, you might think, "Ohhhh, a diet, you can't eat what you want." Not true. With the DASH diet, you have a pretty big range of things to eat. I've increased my fruits / veggies, poultry / fish, whole grains, and dairy. I've dropped my sodium intake tremendously, increased my potassium and other nutrients, and drink water throughout the day. I walk at a brisk pace for at least 30 minutes straight every other day (my knees are not liking this much, but ice packs tend to help).
The result after not quite three weeks? My BP reading this morning was 111 / 80. It has been steadily dropping since I started all of this. I feel better overall (other than my aching knees) and I've probably lost about 2 or 3 pounds (not that I really needed it, though). I used cronometer.com to track my daily intake of foods (great website and app) and my BP monitor connects to an app on my phone to record my readings.
I really don't know why I haven't been doing all of this for years now. I suppose after you turn 40, you start to realize that you aren't invincible anymore.
I did a little research when I got home and found the DASH diet (very similar to Mediterranean diet) that was specifically designed for hypertension about 20 years ago. It has been ranked as the #1 eating plan in the world for several years and there's a reason for it. It works.
I went out and bought a home BP monitor to keep track and collect data for when I return to the doctor. I changed my diet completely. Now, you might think, "Ohhhh, a diet, you can't eat what you want." Not true. With the DASH diet, you have a pretty big range of things to eat. I've increased my fruits / veggies, poultry / fish, whole grains, and dairy. I've dropped my sodium intake tremendously, increased my potassium and other nutrients, and drink water throughout the day. I walk at a brisk pace for at least 30 minutes straight every other day (my knees are not liking this much, but ice packs tend to help).
The result after not quite three weeks? My BP reading this morning was 111 / 80. It has been steadily dropping since I started all of this. I feel better overall (other than my aching knees) and I've probably lost about 2 or 3 pounds (not that I really needed it, though). I used cronometer.com to track my daily intake of foods (great website and app) and my BP monitor connects to an app on my phone to record my readings.
I really don't know why I haven't been doing all of this for years now. I suppose after you turn 40, you start to realize that you aren't invincible anymore.