This week is all about getting to know your numbers, and those numbers are everything related to the markers of your health. From your blood pressure to your weight to your resting heart rate – these helpful trackers are a great way to know if you’re staying on top of your health.
From the 10th to the 17th September, Blood Pressure UK are rolling out hundreds of pressure stations across the country so that you can get your blood pressure checked for free. Why is this important? Well, if you have high blood pressure, then you’re actually 3 times more likely to develop heart disease and stroke as well as 2 times more likely to die from these conditions. Around 125,000 adults in the UK have a heart attack or stroke where high blood pressure is a major component, meaning that every 4 minutes someone experiences a stroke or heart attack that’s completely preventable.
As you might expect, most of the useful advice to get your numbers into the healthy range are the same as those we regularly advise anyway. The majority of us don’t need to turn to medication, we just need to change about how we eat and move.
First and foremost, you’ll want to start by making sure that your weight is in a good range. Being overweight no matter how over you are can bump your blood pressure numbers of drastically. Swapping to a regular exercise routine and a natural-based diet should make it pretty easy to drop those extra pounds. Alongside this, you’ll get all of the added benefits for your cardiovascular system from the vitamins and minerals within the added fruit and vegetables. Men are at a high-risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches/102 centimetres whilst women are at risk if their waist measurement reaches higher than 35 inches/89 centimetres. If you fall into either of these categories, then it’s time to take a look at how you’re living.