Tips for lowering your blood pressure
You can lower your blood pressure by following these tips, and by setting goals for yourself to change your life a little.
Tips that can lower your blood pressure
- Take your medication(s) as prescribed by your doctor. If you are not on medication for high blood pressure, talk to your doctor to ask if you should be on medication.
- Exercise 30 minutes a day. Any exercise will do - walking, cleaning the house, doing something more than you are doing right now is the first step. Exercise can decrease your blood pressure and stress level.
- Eat a diet low in saturated fats. You can lower the fat in your diet by increasing the number of fruits and vegetables you eat to five per day. Limiting your portion sizes to the size of your fist will help, too. Moderation is the key.
- Get your blood pressure checked at least every three months until it is controlled. Find out your results and work with your doctor to learn what these results mean for you.
- Find out about other cardiovascular risk factors you might have; take our cardiovascular risk factor quiz. Bring the quiz to your next doctor visit and discuss the results to find out other things your doctor might recommend.
- Quit smoking! Learn how Priority Health can help
Set a personal goal to live a healthier life
Set any of these personal health goals for yourself. Print this page, fill out a goal and show it to your doctor.
- I will be more active by (write type of exercise) __________________________________________
Start date: ____________________
- I will eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
Start date: ____________________
- I will take my medication(s).
- I will quit smoking
Start date: ____________________
