None of us can take in too much information at one sitting. If nothing else, my rear gets tired. With that in mind, while I rarely do a two part article, I did so this time to allow for ideas to ‘sink in.’ In my last article (part 1 of this blog), we looked at the first 5 concepts for 10 tips that you will ENJOY and will also help your Blood Pressure. This time we continue with the theme of February as Heart Health Month (an important valentine).
Before going onto the final 5 tips, please review the “Must-Say” points of part I if you skipped them last time. Understanding them can make the overall concepts more clear for you and advance your mission of improving health for yourself or family.
I hope your goal will be to adopt a few more actions that you can not only easily do – BUT find pleasurable.
10 Fun & Easy Tips to make you SMILE about Improving Your B/P (continued)
6. Keep Your Corkscrew Handy
Celebrate that glass of wine (especially if with a friend). But keep it to 1/day. It doesn’t have to demand a corkscrew either. Wine, alcohol or a beer are all acceptable – ONCE /day.
One Harvard study showed that a little alcohol can lower a woman’s risk of elevated B/P. After the one daily imbibement however, the risks for a number of health conditions rise (including breast cancer and blood pressure). Further, anyone reducing alcohol assists themselves in avoiding increased glucose levels. This is especially true if they are currently consuming more than 1/day. Therefore, if you’re not attending AA, enjoy your social drink – and your social time – but make certain the sociability is not dependent on more than one drink. We all have times of exception. Just remember this is a simple B/P rule that should still bring you pleasure, knowing that the one-a- day is not just allowed but perhaps helpful.
7. Breathing without the Hype
Okay, we have little alternative option here; not breathing is not a wise choice. Still, how deeply and slowly we breathe can make a significant difference to our health. I actually breathe between 3-3.5 times / 30 seconds. Considering that, I suspect this guideline below is not that unusual or difficult.
Several studies have shown that by reducing your breathing (belly breathing from your diaphragm, not chest) to 6 breaths or less per 30 seconds, you can temporarily slow your pumping pressure (systolic) by approximately 3 points. The more this becomes natural, the better for your B/P. In part, this is due to stress and a particular enzyme. When we’re stressed, there is a rise in a kidney enzyme called Renin, which results in elevated B/P. Additionally, stress hormones (of which Renin is a close cousin) cause vasoconstriction – remember that is opposite of the good vasodilation. The vasoconstriction tightens blood vessels leading to temporary, but frequent, spiking – and a strain on your cardiovascular system. Relaxation techniques (including deep breathing) are shown to reduce this.
For those of you who are really into Gazingus and like gadgets, you could actually drop a few pennies on the RESPeRATE device. And by “a few pennies” I mean between $300-370 depending on your shopping skills. I find my stop watch is more than adequate, and most cell phones have countdown timers.
Conversely, for those who want to keep it simple and smile inside when you think about a couple minutes of deep breathing, you need nothing. Silently count 4 or 5 seconds breathing in and the same amount of time letting your breath out. You don’t even have to close your eyes. You could do it in the middle of a crowded meeting (sometimes the most needed place to do it).
Here are a couple tips to add deep (controlled) breathing to your life without expending much thought, extra cash, or time.
- In the morning (after the trip to the bathroom), sit back in bed for a few minutes with your eyes closed and try to think of nothing but breathing. I brazenly assert that it makes getting up for the day more bearable.
- At night, get in bed, get comfy, and sit up. Do a few, or five, or more minutes of breathing. This helps to clear the mind before sleep and is a better precursor to slumber than gawking at a bright phone screen with the latest annoying or distressing news.
Of course, breathing is a large part of meditation. For those who would like to follow more standard protocols, and don’t yet have an established practice, you might want to check out this article about some of the best of mindful blogs. That too may be a pleasurable approach to better health habits.
8. Pick your Preferred Potassium Package
Really now? Why would this make me smile? Potassium? Sounds boring? But this necessary element (K) comes in great packaging. And there’s got to be one you like. Orange Juice is one, and while I love it, I wouldn’t suggest it for regular consumption due to its high sugar levels. Luckily, there are plenty of other great packages for Potassium (K).
| Bananas (such a favorite) | Cantaloupe |
| Acorn squash | Dates |
| Prunes | Potatoes (sweet or white) |
| Tomatoes | Peas |
| Kidney beans | Raisins |
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According to an article in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension, Potassium helps lower B/P by 2-6 points – especially when simultaneously reducing salt. We need it. “Mounting evidence implicates a potassium (K) deficit in the development of hypertension and its cardiovascular sequelae.” Along with Potassium, Magnesium is also vital for bodily function. So pick a potassium package (or several) that you prefer.
Not everyone needs a K “supplement.” However, when needed K can act as a diuretic for some people who cannot maintain their potassium levels by diet only. If purchasing a supplement there are two types. According to other sources, “KHCO 3” Potassium bicarbonate (also known as potassium hydrogen carbonate or potassium acid carbonate) is more effective in the role of balancing B/P than “KCI” (or Potassium chloride).
9. Be Lazy
Well, that’s something to strive for. Maybe not lazy exactly, more like rested. I may seem to harp on sleep often – it doesn’t just ‘seem’ that way, I do harp. It’s important for many health concerns. After middle-age, sleep deprivation increases the risk of High Blood Pressure. The national Sleep Heart Health Study found that less than 7 hours each night, or more than 9, are both associated with increased prevalence of bad B/P. Additionally, among other risks, sleeping less than 5 hours has been linked to significant long-term hypertension. Nighttime sleeping is important, and for B/P every restful time (including those of meditation, deep breathing, etc.) aids maintenance of B/P balance. For more on sleep hygiene and where naps fit in, see Napachino post. So be a little lazy – rest a bit. Maybe listen to some music.
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10. Sneaky Moves
None of us live in a cave. We know exercise helps our heart in general. Since it also helps with weight, exercise maintains good B/P in particular. Let’s touch on that first.
According to the University of South Carolina even the tiniest increase in BMI – Body Mass Index – will lead to a big jump in B/P risks. The benefits of activity are ubiquitous in the literature and news. We get it. But the best thing is that we don’t have to follow a regular one-size-fits-all regime. Even the gold-standard advice of 30-40 minutes, 3-4 times a week is sometimes questioned in regard to its benefit over other approaches.
A review (2014) of exercise and its ability to lower B/P determined there are many combinations of activity that all work. It included the 10,000 steps/day goal, resistance training, aerobic exercise, HIIT, and short bouts of activity throughout the day. Even light physical activity was advantageous when the alternative was none (especially in older people).
Questioning the sneaky part here? We all struggle to find the time for our activities or exercise. The best thing to remember – and which I hope DOES make you smile – is every little extra event when we “move it” is working in the right direction.
The sneaky part. So, let’s try to sneak in some extra movement, ASIDE from the exercise we struggle to keep up with. Even climbing the stairs or doing housework more vigorously assists our goal. Here is my added suggestion.
Whether you use Alexa, the computer timer, your phone, or some other device, set a 30-35 minute alarm ALL day from at least 9 am – 5 pm. [Microsoft PCs have a built in one called ‘Alarm and Clocks’.] When the buzzer sounds, get up and move. Either do a real burst of HIIT activity, a small house chore, stretching, dance a few minutes to a favorite CD, go get the mail, or refresh your tea after walking around the house or office. If you have time, enjoy a longer fun activity (like a brief bike ride, or walking around the block).
The Key is to make sure the alarm is set regularly – every 30-35 minutes. Just snooze it when it goes off, and move yourself. Continue to do that until the end of the day. While there may be times (hmmmmm) that you choose to ignore the alarm for some reason (squinty-stink-eye), it will get you in the habit of moving more.
If you use Alexa or some other invasive talking device, you can not only set a timer but ask it to remind you to “move and smile now” or as my husband sometimes instructs it “move your lazy ass”. You don’t need anything fancy however; any regular timer (even an old fashioned egg timer) will sneak up on you and remind you it’s time. It’s simply a bit easier not to have to remember to continue to-re-set it.
I can’t remember when we started this in my house, a year or two (?) but it makes an immense difference in getting away from our desks. You are sneaking in just a bit more movement. These sneaky moves facilitate our change in habits even if little by little.
FINAL THOUGHT
It’s taken me months to compile this list (part 1 and 2) of helpful B/P tips that actually SHOULD make you smile. We all understand that reading and knowing something isn’t always helpful; in this case taking action is the key. To paraphrase the old adage about the best exercise is the one we will do, the same is true for all these easy activities. First pick the ones you relate to immediately and will do now (and hopefully stick to). Later add others.
I trust that MOST of these tips will be easy, fun and a great step toward controlling, monitoring or lowering B/P. And by the way, just smiling alone (even faking it) can be a bit of a stress reducer. So pick your changes and SMILE about your choices.
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Picture credit – Title – Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
References:
Music Therapy and B/P: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3860955/
Beyond Medications and Diet: Alternative Approaches to Lowering Blood Pressure – A Scientific Statement from the American Heart Association, Hypertension, April 2013 https://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/61/6/1360.long
Journal of Hypertension: https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/pages/default.aspx
High Blood Pressure Be gone website/blog. Handy, personal info. Link.
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