Are You At Risk?

If you are overweight like nearly 7 out of every 10 Americans or you're just "middle-aged" you could have High Blood Pressure (or Hypertension).

One person in nine over the age of 50 have it. That's right - 90 percent of Americans 50 or older are diagnosed with Hypertension. Not only is the risk huge, but left untreated it could cost you your health, your happiness, even your very life. But what can you do?

First things first: talk to your doctor. You need to have your blood pressure checked at least once a year. Even if you check out okay, getting fit and staying fit is one of the best ways to keep your blood pressure in check.

While it's true just getting older puts you at risk for high blood pressure - you can reduce that risk significantly by simply taking care of yourself. That means being active within reason and eating better. For example if you're a "salt hound" you may want to consider going on the wagon. There's enough salt in most processed foods to meet anyone's daily requirements. In fact...

One of the most critical factors of high blood pressure is diet. Even this factor is two-fold. 

First you may be eating foods (like salt) that contribute to high blood pressure.

Second,  if you're overweight, you need to drop some pounds. Even dropping ten pounds cam have an enormous effect on your health.

One thing you can start doing immediately to help both situations is to eat more unprocessed foods. As one advocate says "eat one ingredient foods". If you eat an apple - it has one ingredient - apple. The farther you get from highly processed foods the better your overall health will be.

Even if you're not overweight, bad habits like salting your food to excess, or drinking too much alcohol can take a toll.

Many people simply need to lose some weight. We Americans usually reserve the right to get things done in a hurry. As far as weight loss is concerned, this can be dangerous. And, as you'll soon see, not always successful.

The second thing you can do is increase your activity level. Again, check with your doctor and work out some limitations. Another thing you want to avoid is going for "instant gratification" as far as exercise. In other words...don't get too ambitious. Better to gradually increase your fitness activities than to join a fitness program that drains and discourages you in the first week.

Start keeping a journal. Record what you eat and what you do It doesn't have to be fancy - a notebook will do for starters. The important thing is to be able to look back at an accurate record of what you've accomplished. That way you'll begin to see real progress and find real encouragement for your efforts.

Meanwhile, get your blood pressure checked and start working towards a more fit lifestyle. You and your loved ones will be glad you did.

Editor's note: We'll add more articles here from time to time so be sure to check back but to get the most benefit from our research into fitness, you're best bet is to subscribe to our Free Fit4Life Newsletter so you're sure to get the most up-to-date information.