5 ways to lower blood pressure naturally

1. Get some aerobic exercise
Researchers studied people with high blood pressure and found something fascinating. These people who walked at a brisk pace were able to lower their blood pressure by nearly 8 mmhg over 6 mmhg. The reason for this is simple; Aerobic exercise helps the heart use oxygen more efficiently. Regular exercise helps to lower your blood pressure in several ways. For one, exercise helps you lose poundage and helps lower your stress levels. Regular aerobic exercise also strengthens your heart. This means your heart can pump blood more efficiently. Which, in turn, lowers what is called your resting heart rate. Did you know that a slower heart rate translates into lower blood pressure? So, go out and get a vigorous cardio workout of at least 30 minutes most everyday and you will see how exercise can lower your blood pressure.

2. Breathe deeply
Slow and deep breathing help to reduce the stress hormones circulating in your system. Our mental and emotional level of tension is reflected in our breathing. When stressed out we breathe quickly and its shallow also. This tends to build up muscle tension in our neck, chest, and upper back. This, in turn, constricts our blood vessels, which raises our blood pressure. You can practice what is often called abdominal breathing. This promotes better circulation. Better circulation reduces blood pressure by taking some of the work load off our hearts.

3. Eat a diet with lots of potassium-rich foods.
When you add potassium-rich fruits and vegetables to your diet it helps to balance out your sodium levels. Top choices of potassium-rich foods include sweet potatoes, tomatoes, orange juice. You can also get a lot of potassium from potatoes, bananas, kidney beans, peas, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon. And don’t forget the dried fruits such as prunes and raisins. Added to your regular daily diet they will help bring your blood pressure under control naturally.

4. Read food marks for sodium
Everyone should lower his sodium intake. The reason for this is that all of our processed foods have an abnormally high concentration of sodium. Whether its quick food or slow food or food bought at the supermarket. It doesn’t matter. The reason for this is that to preserve processed food, manufacturers add sodium. A lot of sodium.   How far?

Typically, your body only needs about 1,500 mg of sodium daily. But thats about half the average American intake. Did you know that only half a teaspoon of salt contains about 1,200 mg of sodium? But, unprocessed foods usually don’t contain a lot of salt. So, if you want to avoid a lot of salt, eat a lot of unprocessed foods.

5. Lose Weight
Why excess weight translates to excess risk of high blood pressure is still a bit of a mystery. It could be because being overweight puts a greater demand on your heart to go you around. Research shows that nearly everybody, if they lose a few pounds, is going to bring their blood pressure down. You may not have to lose a whole lot of weight. Maybe just 10 pounds or so. You will feel better and it will be better for your heart.