What Are You Reading Lately?

I’m not exactly inquiring about the latest NY Times Bestseller; although I have been searching for a new novel to pick up. The reading I’d like to learn more about is my blood pressure reading. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had my blood pressure read and not once have I taken the time to figure out what that number translates to or what it means to have high blood pressure; until now. My sudden interest in learning about my blood pressure was sparked by World Health Day.

This year, World Health Day falls on Sunday, April 7th, 2013 and the theme is high blood pressure. As a contributor to heart disease and affecting 1 in 3 adults worldwide, having high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure; and if left uncontrolled, can also cause blindness, irregular heartbeat, and even heart failure.¹ These are all alarming facts, but the good news is that in most cases high blood pressure can be prevented.

High blood pressure is also known as the “silent killer,” because those who suffer from it rarely show symptoms. For that reason, the first thing you should do is get a blood pressure reading and understand what the numbers mean. Your blood pressure is a measurement of the how strongly your blood presses against your arterial walls as it is pumped around the frame of your heart. According to the World Health Organization, blood pressure is considered to be high if it is above 130/80 mmHg. The top number in the reading measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats and the bottom number measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart is resting between beats.

If you know that you are above 130/88 mmHg, don’t panic. There as variety of ways to reduce blood pressure. The World Health Organization suggests the following lifestyle changes:

• Eating healthy
• Exercising Regularly; sedentary lifestyles and obesity increase high blood pressure risks
• Stopping smoking
• Reducing alcohol consumption
• Managing stress

There are a few risk factors that may be out of your control, such as a family history and being over the age of 65yrs.You should be sure to have your blood pressure monitored regularly and provide your body with beneficial nutrients such as those found in the Healthy Brain and Heart Pak to your diet. This Healthy Start Pak also contains Ultimate EFA and Selenium, which contain nutrients that promote cardiovascular health.

Take some time to honor your body this Sunday, for World Health Day, and every day!

To learn more about Heart Health visit:http://www.healthybodychallenge.com/brain-heart-pak.php

Rocio Ramos
Contributing Writer
Youngevity Marketing Team