Control Your Blood Pressure

Now is the perfect time to focus on something women don’t think about enough: heart disease.

You can’t go anywhere in February without seeing hearts on candy, cards, and balloons. No illness kills more women in the United States. And the latest research shows that one of the best ways to protect yourself is to control your blood pressure. Here’s how:

Get going. Daily activity like gardening and cleaning can lower your BP. Your target should be the normal zone (120/80 or below).

Move faster. Set aside 30 minutes a day for brisk walking, bicycling, or aerobics. Break sessions into shorter segments if necessary.

Shake the high-salt habit. How much salt do you need a day? Just 500 milligrams, or 1/10 teaspoon; this is about 200 mg of sodium. Most folks get 15 times their daily need from food and the salt shaker.

Don’t smoke. Yeah, we know you’ve heard this a million times. (It’s also best to limit alcohol to no more than two drinks per day.)

Fill up on vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy foods.

Monitor your numbers. Haven’t had your blood pressure checked in a while? On February 18, Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club will offer free BP and cholesterol screenings.

Control yourself. If you’re African-American, remember: Your hypertension risk is twice that of white people, so talk strategy with your doctor.

A Little High is Too High
The Framingham Heart Study followed 5,000 people for 10 years and recently found that prehypertensives—people with blood-pressure readings between 120/80 and 140/90—are three times as likely to have a heart attack as those with lower levels. About 59 million Americans have prehypertension. If they could all get into the normal range, nearly half of all heart-related deaths could be prevented.