The MoneyWalker and High Blood Pressure

The MoneyWalker has completed a medical check-up. “110 over 60” she said. “Is that good?” I said. “Oh, very good” she said.

One of the benefits of a sound repeating walking/nutrition regiment is a healthy blood pressure, or the absence of hypertension. One is said to be hypertensive with a blood pressure reading of 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher, or 140/90 for short. But hypertension numbers can be much higher. With the 140 number or greater, you are at risk! A normal reading is 120/80 or lower.

The top number is the “systolic” number and is a measurement of the pressure against the walls of your blood vessels when the heart is pumping blood to the body’s organs. The “diastolic,” the low number, is the same measure but taken when your heart is resting between beats. Of the two, the systolic provides the most important data. A good commercial web-site for essential facts is:


http://www.diovan.com/info/treating/high_blood_pressure_treatment.jsp

A person with persistent high blood pressure must be concerned with strokes, heart attacks, heart disease, arterial aneurysm, chronic renal failure among others. In addition to medical treatment, health experts have demonstrated that weight reduction and regular aerobic exercise including walking significantly lowers mild to moderate hypertension. Other smart practices include the dietary reduction of sugar and salt. In fact, it seems that most of the fun stuff must be curtailed or eliminated completely including smoking and alcohol. And don’t forget stress (will the market ever stop its free fall?) And what is worse, the dastardly condition has no symptoms. We can have seriously elevated blood pressure and be totally unaware.

So you MoneyWalkers, do what I do and get a medical check-up. If your blood pressure is higher than 120, then get busy—fruits and vegetables, lower the booze amount, quit smoking, and join me as a MoneyWalker.

MoneyWalker

P.S.: My find this morning was $1.61, 4 quarters, 2 dimes, 1 nickle, and 36 pennies--yippee!