10 Natural Ways to Reduce High Blood Pressure

I saw a friend of mine over the weekend. We have known each other since college days. Last week his doctor told him his blood pressure is so high that he needs to be on medication.

I could see his high blood pressure coming to be honest. Apart from having a genetic predisposition to an early diagnosis, his lifestyle greatly contributes to his condition. Knowing him, he will be shell-shocked for a few days but will then settle in to taking his new pills and not changing much about his diet or lifestyle.

Most diseases are a combination of genes, lifestyle, environment and diet. As long as it is not too late to change things, you can always do something about them. Your body constantly gives you signals but you may not see them. These signals can be things like headaches or something as obvious as excess weight!

My friend does exercise but he takes his exercise very seriously and almost “competes” on his weekly cycle runs. I believe this sort of “excessive” attitude to exercise is detrimental to health, especially if you are over 40. This is my personal belief from observations over many years. Exercise in my opinion, should be gentle and in your target heart range. Personally, I believe his “pressure” method of exercising is a contributory factor to my friend’s high blood pressure.

What can you do to alleviate high blood pressure or ensure you don’t suffer from it?

The bad news is that as you age, your blood pressure will change and will eventually go higher. The good news is that you can do plenty to reduce it.

Below are 10 natural ways to reduce high blood pressure:

1. Exercise - Do exercise, however make sure you are not putting an extra burden on your body by excessive pressure. Stay in your target heart range and aim for a more cardio workout than a do or die attitude. Walking for say, 30 minutes a day is ideal.

2. Cut down Caffeine - Or try and cut it out totally, especially coffee. Coffee is terrible for blood pressure and gets you all anxious and worked-up. Something as simple as cutting it out or replacing it with a decaf variety can have a huge impact on reducing high blood pressure.

3. Lose excess weight - More body-fat places more pressure on your arteries. Losing weight can be one of the biggest things you can do for health and reducing blood pressure. If you find it very hard, then read some of the articles on lamuscle.com and try a supplement like Fat Stripper Intense. Aim for at least a 5% reduction in body-fat to see a significant reduction in blood pressure.

4. Cut down on your salt intake - You should not be putting salt on top of foods. In addition you should check the labels on all foods for “sodium” or salt. You will be surprised at just how many foods have hidden salts. Salt greatly increases blood pressure.

5. Increase your Potassium intake - Potassium is the nemesis to salt! Increase your potassium intake by having foods like bananas, broccoli, spinach, cucumbers, peas, mushrooms, tuna, salmon, nuts, seeds, milk and potatoes.

6. Cut down on alcohol - Scientific research points to alcohol being responsible for as much as 20% of high blood pressure cases worldwide!

7. Stop smoking - Smoking damages arteries and increases blood pressure. Period!

8. Reduce sugar intake - Many studies have found that those who consume more refined sugar, have higher blood pressure. A sugary lifestyle is not a healthy one and causes all sorts of problems including diabetes.

9. Reduce Stress - You may not notice it because you are “living” your life but a life full of stress will affect you in many ways. You need to look at your life from the outside and make some changes. Health really is wealth and if you don’t have your health, you have nothing. Pills are not a solution to problems. They often mask the symptoms but do not address the underlying causes. Learn meditation. Go for a walk in the morning before work. Don't take things personally. Life is short and problems usually resolve themselves. Don't stress. Take it easy.

10. Eat healthier - Foods rich in magnesium and calcium as well as berries and garlic are good for high blood pressure. Reducing meat consumption and increasing fibre and vegetables is a good choice for reducing blood pressure.

Every choice you make in life will have a consequence. Start making better choices for better health. A pill may be necessary if you have left things too late and not listened to your body's own signals. However you must never get too complacent and think that a pill is the solution to an underlying problem which must ultimately be addressed through changes in diet and lifestyle.