prehypertension and complacency

  • Thread starter Thread starter Unregistered
  • Start date Start date
U

Unregistered

Guest
I am 36, 5'7", 155, and fortunate enough to have a good natural baseline of fitness. After reading numerous posts by Ben, Bruce, Michael, and now Nate, however, I'd like to avoid complacency.

My BP has been on the high side of normal since high school but never raised any eyebrows until I got my 3rd class medical. The AME suggested that I get a home bp monitor, and I did so.

I was a light smoker (1 pack/week) but quit entirely six months ago. Alcohol consumption is moderate (<=2 drinks/day, not every day). Gave up bourbon. Gave up beer and lost weight. Down to wine now.

I substituted coffee for tea and am now tempted to wean off caffeine entirely. I'm curious to see what effect that will have, if any.

My diet is good and all of my precious bodily fluids tested fine at my last physical, along with a normal EKG. I don't think I consume a lot of salt, but I may try KCl just for grins.

I drive a desk for a living, so making time for exercise can be a challenge. I will need to find a way to address this. I also need to find a way to manage stress constructively.

What are you doing to "own your medical"?
 
Once I'm done teaching I plan to loose 10 pounds. I walk 6 miles a day. Might give up booze for awhile myself.
 
5'7 155 is a BMI of 26. Moderately overweight.

Hypertension does it's damage as an "area under the curve phenomenon" and the time axis gets long fast. "But I feel fine" doesn't address teh slow interior corrosion that goes on.

WORK ON THE WEIGHT. NOW!
 
Unregistered said:
I don't think I consume a lot of salt, but I may try KCl just for grins.
Click to expand...

While I've used KCl powder (not for blood pressure reasons, though I believe it lowered my BP a bit) you need to be careful to insure your kidneys haven't been impaired by drinking and smoking. You can no doubt locate net references yourself, here are a few that you may find helpful:

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Condi...nd-High-Blood-Pressure_UCM_303243_Article.jsp
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-substitutes/
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0705c.shtml


I drive a desk for a living, so making time for exercise can be a challenge. I will need to find a way to address this.
Click to expand...
For the price of a nice iPad or computer you can buy an elliptical exercise machine and use it 30 to 45 minutes a day. We bought a NordicTrack one for about $650 from Sears a couple years ago and put it in the master bedroom (that sucker is heavy, so it doesn't get moved often.) I've been using it right after work - about 5 PM - at least 5 days a week. (It doesn't hurt that I work at home, so commute time to it is walking across the house.)
 
Unregistered said:
Bruce, how would you define ideal/target weight?
Click to expand...

Don't know about Bruce, but I'd go for the middle of the normal range in BMI. A good experiment would be to loose a few pounds and see how it affects your BP. My own plan is ten, and we'll see how it goes. I am in the upper range of normal BMI, so I'm going to try and get myself into the middle to see if it cures my very mild hypertensive properties.

I recommend regular exercise and decreased portions. Remember, whatever your diet you must maintain the lost weight once your done with it. A diet that resembles more what you eat normally will work far better than something utterly dissimilar to your usual diet. Also, once done with the diet you must continue the exercise, but that will do worlds of good for your weight, cardiovascular fitness, and BP. Plus chicks dig it.
 
steingar said:
Don't know about Bruce, but I'd go for the middle of the normal range in BMI.
Click to expand...


In other words, you should loose 10#


Present BMI = (155)(703)/(67)^2 = 24.27
loose 10#: = (145)(703)/(67)^2 = 22.71 (close enough to 22.5)
 
I've cut out caffeine and salt and reduced portion sizes. So far, I am down about five pounds and down about five mmHg. I still need to work on making exercise a part of the daily routine. NHLBI tells me that 5'7" 150 = BMI of 23.5.
 
I try to follow a somewhat paleo diet. It gets a bit challenging on the road...

At my prior job I was able to ride my bike daily, and was actually down to a BMI < 19 at which point I was told to eat more or cycle less. Getting a different job took care of that issue - exercise is more of a challenge for me now but I try to get in at least 2-3 30 minute workouts a week. Not enough, I know, but I'm working on it!

I'm curious as to why you switched from tea to coffee? I thought tea was the healthier of the two. I try to limit myself to 2-3 cups of tea per day.
 
Weight training is also key to keeping BP down as you age.

Yet, there is not a single person I know who lifts weights and who can bench press their weight who has a BMI less than 25 . . . its not possible with a well designed weight program.

Mine is 26 right now. My resting pulse is 58. My BP is 112/76. I can bench press 15% more than my body weight - can bicep curl 1/3 of my body weight.

BMI is completely worthless for anyone who is doing resistance training for strength. . . . there is no adjustment for the additional muscle mass.
 
Doc... Just out of curiosity, are there any long-term consequences to low blood pressure?

I've always had low blood pressure. It almost kept me out of the service and has raised the eyebrows of quite a few doctors over the years. When they first took my BP when I went down for my enlistment physical, it was something like 80/46. But after being yelled at and running around for a few hours wearing red goggles, it went up to something like 90/60, so they took me.

Today I had my annual physical, and my BP was a whopping 118/64. The doc was pretty surprised about that, seeing as how I could afford to lose a few pounds and have DM2. She told me to lose some weight and keep doing whatever I'm doing.

-Rich
 
I am envious of those number.
But to answer the question, "no", unless it's so low that you pass out when you get up :)
 
Unregistered said:
I've cut out caffeine and salt and reduced portion sizes. So far, I am down about five pounds and down about five mmHg. I still need to work on making exercise a part of the daily routine. NHLBI tells me that 5'7" 150 = BMI of 23.5.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're doing quite well, actually. If you are still hypertensive it is possible you'll need medication to keep it under control. Mrs. Steingar is tiny, but has to take blood pressure meds. It's genetic. Might have to get on them myself. Don't like taking pills, but it beats stroking out.

Several times a week exercise is good, daily better. The poster who mentioned weight lifting is spot on, but mostly because lifting is more of a lifestyle than an exercise. Once you get cut it gets quite addictive.
 
ok, so this was NOT the thread to read with my 1st cup of coffee and home made banana nut muffin in hand! Baked goods do not taste good sprinkled with guilt! :)

sigh ... thanks for the post, tho - really... a good motivator I needed to tackle these 20lbs that found me over the winter. I lost them last summer but apparently they weren't all THAT lost - they found their way home again.

On a positive (maybe?) or maybe just inconclusive note, I've recently cut back from "who knows how many pots of coffee per day" to 2 cups per day. No noticeable difference ... my co-workers say that my grizzly bear disposition didn't get any worse during the transition.
 
bbchien said:
I am envious of those number.
But to answer the question, "no", unless it's so low that you pass out when you get up :)
Click to expand...

Thank you, doc. And no. I've never had problems with passing out, dizziness, or any of that. I guess I'm just lucky. Most of my family (even my younger brothers) have high BP.

Thanks again.

-Rich
 
bbchien said:
BMI less than 25.....
Click to expand...

Great for "average" folk but us outliers? I score just under 25 but if I improved my fitness I'd gain weight.

SWIMBO is curvy and at a BMI of ~26 starts to look like a walking skeleton.

Honest question Doc.
 
Skylane81E said:
Great for "average" folk but us outliers? I score just under 25 but if I improved my fitness I'd gain weight.

SWIMBO is curvy and at a BMI of ~26 starts to look like a walking skeleton.

Honest question Doc.
Click to expand...
Honest answer, You won't like it.

Everyone is always an exception to the rules. I "know" that and so do you.

It's a statistic that contains a sample from the whole population. That should include you.

"But, I'm an exception...!!!"
 
Last edited:
Understood, and what I expected just wondering.

One size never quite fits all.

Good news is we are fairly well programed to tell if you are about your propper weight, even at a glance.
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top