Lowering your blood pressure naturally is the preferred method endorsed by the American Heart Association. In fact they say that medication is only useful when diet and exercise fail. So why do doctors immediately put you on high blood pressure medication even if you are pre-hypertensive? The answer may be as simple as that’s the way they are taught.
However, if you agree with the largest organization on heart related disease, and you want to avoid the potentially debilitating side effects of drugs then changes in lifestyle and diet are the way to go. But what if you really want to kick start the program and lower your bp fast? Well here are a few ideas that are either medically proven or that have worked for thousands of others.
1. Aerobic Exercise
The absolutely fastest way to lower blood pressure is to do mild aerobic exercises for 30 minutes a day every day. We are talking about an immediate drop in pressure at the completion of the exercise. Thirty minutes of brisk walking or cycling will not only drop your pressure by as much as 4 points; it will strengthen your heart muscle and add to the elasticity of your blood vessels.
2. Hydrate
Americans can down pots of coffee and cases of cola but we do not take in enough water to keep ourselves healthy. Water assists in lessening hardening of blood vessels and also flushes out sodium two beneficial qualities that can lower bp quickly. How much should you drink? In order to be sufficiently hydrated you should consume half your body weight, expressed in ounces, each day. For example if you weigh 150 pounds then you should drink 75 ounces of water daily.
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
There are no studies that prove that apple cider vinegar (ACV) has any impact on reducing blood pressure yet thousands claim dramatic results using it. Nobody knows for certain just how it works but according to many reductions by 20 points or more inside two weeks is common. A tablespoon mixed with 8 ounces of water daily is the typical dose.
4. Reduce The Number Of Meals Out
The average American eats two meals a day from a restaurant and it’s killing us. Aside from the massive amount of fats that we consume, restaurants go crazy with salt. It’s not uncommon to find single meals on popular chain stores that contain multiples of the daily recommended allowance. Cutting back on those meals will dramatically cut back on the amount of sodium and fat that you consume.
5. Take Garlic Supplements
Garlic has long been considered a medicinal food even back to ancient Greece. Garlic is an excellent source of antioxidants which prevent and help break up plaque in the blood vessels and is also a natural diuretic. Garlic is also one of the few “natural” cures that is most efficiently consumed as a supplement rather than fresh. Just be sure to check the bottle and make sure you’re getting garlic and not mostly filler.
These are fast ways to lower pressure but the ultimate solution is easing into a more healthy lifestyle which is a combination of diet, exercise and stress reduction. This is not nearly as easy as simply popping a pill every day but you can cure, not just manage, your high blood pressure.
By: Rachel Willson
