Simple Steps for Controlling High Blood Pressure Effectively

by: Clive Jenkins
High blood pressure, or the hypertension, as it is commonly named, is a condition that can affect us without even knowing its specific symptoms, because there are none. The silent killer can be controlled with the proper medicated treatment and by following the doctor advises. The first thing you have to do after you have been diagnosed with hypertension, is to be aware and to learn how to live with it, because the faster you take some measures, the faster you can stop it from threatening your life. Being a chronic disease, there is nothing yet that can cure it. We can only try to ameliorate it and to control it by making drastic changes in our lives. Begin with changing the way you eat, change the lifestyle you have and make sure you follow the medicated treatment prescribed by your doctor: these are the right steps towards healing hypertension. Hypertension can lead to major breakdowns of our body's systems if we do not take the right measures and the consequences are very serious: complicated heart attacks, strokes or the failure of your kidneys. This article will provide you with a simple 3-steps program that can help you reduce and regulate your high blood pressure and prevent it from taking over your life. Step 1: Eat Healthy! Eating healthy might seem easy for someone who hasn't tried it yet. It involves changing your whole way of life and you must forget and put away your old eating habits and apply the new rules of healthy eating. You can begin with a small step, like reducing the quantity of salt you used to prepare the meals. A higher quantity of salt can produce edema, the retention of water. Normally, the water from our body must be eliminated through the urine. The salt interferes in the process and a big part of the water that should be eliminated is blocked within our bodies, creating excess. This will cause a pressure on the walls of the blood vessels, the main reason for the occurrence of hypertension. If you feel you can't live without salt, you can replace it with salt substitutes or tasty combinations of other seasonings. The taste of the food might not be the same as before, but your hypertension will slowly lose its power. Changing the way you eat and the things you eat, will determine you to begin lose the excess of weight too. It is a common fact that hypertension is caused by obesity, by the fat accumulated in our body which thickens the walls of the blood vessels and increases the blood pressure as a consequence. To guide the people in finding the right way to control hypertension through healthy eating, in 1997, the Journal of Medicine from New England published a work that was lately approved by the US government as an excellent method to prevent hypertension. This amazing writing was the DASH diet, which means Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension. This is a diet based on healthy food, tasty and beneficial for our body too, including all the proteins, vitamins, fibers and minerals necessary to our body. Step 2: Quit Smoking And Reduce The Amount Of Alcohol! If you are a smoker or you are used to have more than a couple of drinks daily, you might take a minute and think about how this affects your health. It is hard to leave behind those nasty habits, and the best way to do it isn't to go through it by yourself. You will not make it. Search for advice and counselling in your personal physician and you will have professional support while you will improve your life. Step 3: Be Active! A sedentary way of life will certainly not help you in reducing the risqu of hypertension. Our busy schedules don't leave us much choice when it comes to our free time. We prefer to relax and watch a movie instead of exercising our bodies. Do not worry; you do not have to spend hours at the gym. Ten minutes a day can work wonders on your blood circulation, by reducing the negative effect of hypertension on our bodies. There is the case though, when we inherit hypertension. At the periodic check-up, tell your doctor if you ever had a history of hypertension in your family; it is possible that you might have it too. The only thing you can do is to protect yourself by avoiding the things that allow the hypertension to become serious in the first place. There are also drugs included in the category of antihypertensive; not every one of them might work for your type of body, and you will have to try a whole list of drugs until you find the one that works on your hypertension. Pay attention, though! If you take the drugs and still go on with your old lifestyle, do not expect any results! The right combination of hypertension inhibitors includes: healthy food, exercises and a healthy way of life (no cigarettes or alcohol).

Tips for Guaranteed Healthy and Fast Weight Loss

by: Nathalie Fiset
Almost everybody, at some point in their of life, has experienced weight-related problems. Most of us, women and men alike, are not content with what we see. We feel that unless we are wafer thin like the models and celebrities we see on television and magazines, we will never be attractive and beautiful. On the other hand, there are an increasing number of obese individuals across the world. Becoming overweight has become a trend in both the West and East hemispheres. The increasing popularity of processed and fast foods have exacerbated the obesity situation. There are many diseases related to being overweight, such as hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, coronary heart disease, to name a few. Thus, you need to find ways to incorporate weight loss activities and good eating habits to our daily routine. Before you start any type of diet, however, you need to go to a physician first. The doctor will tell you if your weight loss plan is appropriate for your health condition. Furthermore, the physician will also assist you in determining if you really need to lose weight and how much weight you need to shed. Many people develop eating disorders because they do not visit a doctor before drastically changing their eating habits and starting a diet plan. If you want to lose weight fast, healthy and permanently, you need to follow the tips below. Maintain a balanced diet The reason why many people are overweight is partly due to an unbalanced diet. If you eat too much from one food group, you won't be able to get the vitamins and nutrients that your body need. A balanced diet is composed of protein, dairy food, a little bit of fat from healthy oil, fruit and vegetables, and good carbohydrates -- at least 5 portions every day. Many professionals suggest a diet that is composed of mostly carbohydrate, moderate protein intake, and a little bit of fat. However, there are many diets espousing a huge amount of protein intake and a dramatic decrease in carbohydrates. Before you apply such diets to your daily routine, you need to talk with a physician first. This high-protein diet may not be ideal for some people, such as those with kidney disease. Increase servings of fruit and vegetables Fruits and vegetables are good sources of vitamins and minerals that our body need. Such food supplies us with vitamin A that is good for our eyes, vitamin C that boosts our immune system, beta-carotene that helps protects our body from the damage of free radicals, and nutrients. Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and low calorie, so they also help clean our colon and make us feel fuller. Canned fruits and vegetables are acceptable; however, there is no substitute for the real thing. Stay away from junk food and sugar-loaded drinks Try eliminating junk food and soda from your diet for a week or two, and you will surely feel and see the difference. Maybe the reason why it is called junk food is due to its poor nutritional value. Try looking at a junk food's label, not only is it full of saturated fat, but also usually high in salt or sugar, or both. Aside from water, most of the things you drink are also loaded with calories. Soda and sweetened fruit juices are mainly sugar. Thus, no matter how little you eat, but if you still drink lots of soda and sweetened beverages, you will still continue to gain weight. Don't skip breakfast Even if you are in a hurry or late for work or school, you need to grab a bite. It would be better if your breakfast is healthy – probably an apple, oatmeal and a glass of nonfat milk. If you miss breakfast, you most probably will feel hungrier the rest of the day. In order for our body function properly, we need energy from the food we eat. If you skip breakfast, or a meal or two, your body's metabolism will slow down to compensate for the lack of energy supply. More often than not, people who skip meals, particularly the first meal of the day, will binge later in the day. So, even if you skipped breakfast, you will have a tendency to eat a lot during lunch or dinner. Start exercising Many of us spend an extended number of hours in our offices. We get stuck sitting down in front of the computer for more than eight hours. When we get home, we spend another hour or two to check e-mails and chat with friends. Thus, we don't expend most of the calories from the food we eat and those excess calories go straight to our belly, arms and thighs. If you want to increase your metabolism, you must start exercising. Brisk walking is a good way to start your exercise routine. If you do not have time to go to the gym, you need to find ways to increase your activities. Try sports activities that you will enjoy – boxing, badminton, or spelunking. There are many to fat burning activities to choose from. The tips above will not let you lose 10 pounds overnight. However, in the long run, such changes will help you become healthier and fitter. The weight loss you will experience will be more permanent.