Being healthy is a great way to reduce the risk of developing hypertension, but can you have high blood pressure if you’re healthy and fit?
About one in three U.S. adults have hypertension (high blood pressure), which includes more than half of men and women over the age of 55. Hypertension damages your body over time and can lead to a variety of complications.
Some of these complications include kidney failure, damaged arteries, heart failure, and stroke. Therefore, it’s important to take care of yourself and your blood pressure. The following is an overview of high blood pressure and who can get it.
Measuring High Blood Pressure
When measuring your blood pressure, two numbers are taken into account: systolic blood pressure (top number) and diastolic blood pressure (bottom number). Systolic blood pressure refers to the pressure when the heart contracts to pump blood to the body. Diastolic blood pressure refers to the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats.
Here are the different stages of high blood pressure:
- Normal: – less than 120/less than 80 mm Hg
- Elevated: 120-129/less than 80 mm Hg
- Hypertension Stage 1: 130-139/80-89
- Hypertension Stage 2: 140/90
- Hypertensive Crisis: over 180/over 120
High Blood Pressure and Fitness
A variety of factors can lead to high blood pressure, including age, stress, diet, lack of physical activity, smoking, and more. However, a study by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center suggests that overweight and obese people are likelier to have high systolic blood pressure.
Moreover, individuals with a high body mass index who were physically fit only saw a small impact on their blood pressure. According to the study results, to get the most benefits from being physically fit, you need to be in a normal weight range.
In other words, if your goal is to lower your blood pressure, your focus should be on losing weight before being physically fit. Still, researchers also note that exercise is a critical part of any weight loss program, so losing weight and being fit can often go hand in hand.
Other studies show that sitting around for long periods of time can have a negative impact on your life span. For instance, men who spend six hours of their day sitting have a 17% increased risk of dying compared to those who sat for less than three hours in a day. For women, the increased risk is 37%.
Improving Blood Pressure
The best thing you can do is protect yourself from developing high blood pressure. However, if you already have it or have elevated levels, there are things you can do. For example, you can make dietary changes as well as fitness changes in your life.
In addition, you can take supplements like L-arginine Plus to give your blood pressure health an extra boost. Its ingredients promote circulation, blood pressure, cholesterol, and more. Give your health the support it deserves by protecting yourself against high blood pressure and taking L-arginine Plus.