Has anyone managed to get their blood pressure down?

[StinkyPinky]

I went to the doc about a week ago for a food poisoning incident, and while there I had my BP taken. It was 150/85 and I'm only 33. They didn't actually seemed that concerned about it, but previously I had it read at 140/90 and they were a little worried back then but didn't press the issue, but 150/85 sounds even worse. So I think it is time I took proactive measures to reduce it before it kills me.

Has anyone managed to get it down without resorting to meds? I'm not fat but at the same time I'm not exactly fit. Is getting in shape the key?

[chin311]

Are you overweight at all?

I was in a similar boat when I went in for a checkup when I was around 23. My BP would be in the 130's/140's over 90s most the time, sometimes would be a little lower but overall the doc said to try and trim down and cut down on sodium etc the usual before throwing me into medication.

I went from around 220-225lbs to 200, I'm 6'1. Also got to be kind of a stickler with sodium, always trying to buy reduced sodium items if possible etc. He also said to cut back on alcohol intake which I kind of did but will admit I haven't recently. Also added fish oil supplements daily just because I figured it couldn't hurt.

Anyway, long story short my BP is consistently in the 100-120/60-80 range now and high BP runs on both sides of my family.

thats my .02cents

[Megatomic]

Yes, I did. I got my cholesterol, BP, and pulse rate down. I did it by losing a whole woman's worth of weight and by taking up running. My average pulse rate is 46 bpm and when I wake it's 40 bpm. I don't know exactly what my starting blood pressure was but at one time it was 160/90 or so. Now it's 110/60.

It is possible, try to do it naturally first.

[pauldun170]

Age 39,
My weight floats around 180. Give or take -5/+10. Its been like that for years.
Went from 135/90 3 years ago to 110/60


Cut out salt, cut out fast food/chinese food/chain restaurants/and significantly reduced bread intake. Lots of chicken/fish and vegetables.
I run 1 day (3-4 miles) week and hit the gym 3 days a week for weight training.

I think the running is what really helped get below the 120/80 barrier but a clean diet really is the most important thing.

[highland145]

For me, cardio, regularly.

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Probably not applicable, but if you take NSAIDs, stop taking them. That brought my blood pressure from 140/100 to 120/80, which still isn't great considering my normal before migraines was 100/60. I also had minor kidney dysfunction that made me stop taking them.

[Ventanni]

Lots and lots of cardio.

[alkemyst]

I have gone from 175/150 to 120/60 in 5 months.

[StinkyPinky]

Originally Posted by alkemyst

I have gone from 175/150 to 120/60 in 5 months.

How?

Sounds like I need to hit cardio exercises.

I don't take NSAID's for the most part, although I did take some for my food poisoning. I'm not overweight.

[alkemyst]

I just got back in shape. I was suffering a long time with a torn labrum that needed surgery to repair. The constant pain didn't help my blood pressure even if I didn't notice it either.

I workout about 2.5 hours now, 3x a week.

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally Posted by StinkyPinky

How?

Sounds like I need to hit cardio exercises.

I don't take NSAID's for the most part, although I did take some for my food poisoning. I'm not overweight.

Yeah, I believe the American Heart Association recommends at least 20min of moderate intensity cardio 5x a week to control bloop pressure.

[alkemyst]

holy moly...it used to be 20x3. Now they are saying much more, about 30mins 5x.

People need to eat less or better. I eat a ton of food no where near my friend that is an ex-pro. He eats more protein than just chicken, but at 4lbs PER DAY of it he is still losing weight. His total food per day weighs in at over 10lbs and he is still losing.

[JBT]

More Protein has been great at helping me lose weight. I topped out at 275 lost 75 and sat around 200 for awhile, even though I was still trying to lose more. I decided to shift my diet. I had only been eating about 65 Grams of Protein a day so I changed a few things around increased my calories by 150 calories a day but now eat about 100 grams a day. I've lost another 10 lbs in the last 2-3 weeks.
I use and I know a lot of people with blood pressure issues and a product from Beachbody (makers of P90X, Insanity, etc) product called Shakeology has helped me a lot in my journey. I am now a coach for them because I believe in their products so much. Its been a life saver.

[blackdogdeek]

yes, primarily by changing my diet. i had been working out regularly when my blood pressure was about 140/95. i drastically changed my diet, worked out the same amount, ended up dropping about 15-20 lbs in a month and my blood pressure dropped.

i'll edit this post with the thread that has the details of what i ate.

EDIT: my numbers were: 140/94 => 124/76

here is the thread: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2261360

[SandEagle]

wife takes nifedical for high bp.
my bp is extremely low. 90/56.

[episodic]

When I was 350 lbs - my pressure averaged 160/100 often. Now at 168lbs it is like 105/60.

[DAGTA]

Yes. Through some adjustments from my chiro. But most people won't believe and I'm sure we'll see the usual blather of replies.

I went from an average of 140/90, to 120 / 70

[Sixguns]

Mine has gone down since I started working out and with with the weight loss. High BP runs in my family so I always need to be watching it.

[Cstefan]

Losing 80lb and lifting weights.