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7 Easy Tips to Get Your High Blood Pressure Under Control

7 Easy Tips to Get Your High Blood Pressure Under Control

You’re among the millions of Americans — 116 million, to be exact — who have blood pressure numbers that are too high. And you understand that your high blood pressure places you at risk for some very serious health issues, from heart attack and stroke to kidney failure and vision loss.

As you explore how to lower your blood pressure, you’re faced with two monumental steps — change your diet and exercise more.

While these two steps may be most effective for addressing hypertension, Dr. Madaiah Revana and the team here at Humble Cardiology want to break them down into smaller, more manageable, ones that you can put into action today. 

1. Go beyond the salt shaker

You may have heard that people with high blood pressure should ditch the salt shaker, but this doesn't quite cover it. People with high blood pressure should watch out for foods with high sodium content, which includes most processed foods. 

If there’s one step you can take today, it’s to read food labels to get a better idea about your sodium intake, which you should keep under 1,500 milligrams. By cutting out just one food you eat a lot, such as pickles or frozen pizza, you can get on the road to lowering your overall sodium considerably.

2. Swap out one snack

If you like to munch on chips or cookies, how about choosing just one snack and swapping it out for something healthier? For example, you can trade the bag of chips for a handful of unsalted nuts. Or, try an apple or banana instead of a candy bar or cookie.

3. Use a smaller plate

A great hack for controlling your diet is to use a smaller plate. Instead of grabbing a large plate and covering it with food, you can use a salad or dessert plate that limits the real estate available for your meal.

4. Track your steps

Exercise is an effective way to lower your blood pressure, so we want you to get moving. One way to start is to track your steps, which you can do easily with your smartphone, if you have one. Once you get a feel for how many steps you take each day, on average, make it a game to add some. If you routinely take 3,000 steps, shoot for 4,000, and so on.

5. Add more steps

We’ve established that getting more steps is a great way to lower your blood pressure and we want to share some great tips for doing this, such as:

You know your routine best, so find little ways to add a few steps during your day.

6. Try a new physical activity

If you’ve always wanted to learn a new activity, now is the time. Thanks to technology, you can try beginner yoga from the comfort of your home. Or, maybe you can enroll in a pool exercise class, join a pickleball club, or connect with a local hiking group. These activities may help improve your cardiovascular health, and you’ll hardly know you’re exercising since you’re doing something new and fun.

7. Ease stress

Stress can add to high blood pressure, so it’s a good idea to find ways to destress. The exercises we mentioned above are great for that, but we also recommend taking a timeout to relax with a good book or TV show. 

You can also try meditation and deep breathing exercises that can calm your body and mind and help lower your blood pressure. A great place to start is with an app, such as Insight.

If you’d like more ideas for lowering your blood pressure, we’re happy to help you come up with a plan that suits you best. To get started, simply contact one of our two offices in Humble or Houston, Texas, to schedule an appointment.

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