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
Showing posts with label blood pressure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blood pressure. Show all posts
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
196/365 Heart Disease Awareness
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
February is National Heart Month. Wear red on the 4th to remind friends, loved ones, and strangers to take care of their hearts!
Heart disease is the number one killer in America. It is also almost entirely preventable! Things that increase your risk for heart disease are smoking, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, age, family history, diabetes, and being overweight or obese. I encourage you to know your numbers (BP at least, cholesterol if you can) and make sure that your older loved ones (males over 45 and females over 55) to know their numbers too.
What are ways you can prevent heart disease? If you're smoking, quit! If you've never smoked, don't start! It's a bad habit that is incredibly hard to break. Smokers always tell you, "Don't start smoking." Take their advice. Exercise is a huge way to decrease your risk. Exercise has been shown to increase HDLs, decrease blood pressure, help control diabetes, and promote weight loss.
The late Jack LaLanne, father of health and fitness, once said, "The only thing you can do to hurt your body is to not use it."
In health,
Lauren
February is National Heart Month. Wear red on the 4th to remind friends, loved ones, and strangers to take care of their hearts!
Heart disease is the number one killer in America. It is also almost entirely preventable! Things that increase your risk for heart disease are smoking, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, age, family history, diabetes, and being overweight or obese. I encourage you to know your numbers (BP at least, cholesterol if you can) and make sure that your older loved ones (males over 45 and females over 55) to know their numbers too.
What are ways you can prevent heart disease? If you're smoking, quit! If you've never smoked, don't start! It's a bad habit that is incredibly hard to break. Smokers always tell you, "Don't start smoking." Take their advice. Exercise is a huge way to decrease your risk. Exercise has been shown to increase HDLs, decrease blood pressure, help control diabetes, and promote weight loss.
The late Jack LaLanne, father of health and fitness, once said, "The only thing you can do to hurt your body is to not use it."
In health,
Lauren
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