250/365 Blood Pressure

Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,

Blood pressure is a measure of how hard your heart has to pump blood through your arteries. Many factors affect those two numbers in your blood pressure score. First off, the top number represents the pressure against your blood vessels while your heart is contracted (systole). A good score is below 120mmHg; a score above 130 means pre-hypertension and a score above 140 means hypertension. The bottom number represents the pressure against your blood vessels while your heart is relaxed in between contractions (diastole). A good score is below 80mmHg; pre-hypertension is 85 and hypertension is 90.

These values are affected by the amount of resistance in your blood vessels (total peripheral resistance). Our blood vessels are supposed to be flexible. The more stiff they are, the harder your heart has to work to keep blood flowing. TPR can be exacerbated by smoking, physical inactivity, stress, consuming a lot of sodium and/or trans/sat fat, and genetics. Exercise has been known to decrease blood pressure. Through exercise, your heart gets stronger and pumps blood more efficiently (there's a lot of physiology behind that, if you want to know more, just let me know).

If you want to get your blood pressure checked, do it after sitting for 5 minutes and before you exercise. The person who takes it will make sure that your back is fully supported, your feet are flat on the ground, and you aren't talking or laughing.

In health,

Lauren