I Gotta Get My Blood Pressure Down

Today i sat down at one of those health machines in the walmart and checked my blood pressure and weight.

BP says fair but 143/97 and says elevated risk for developing hypertension.

Weight is 219 lbs i'm 6'3" and my BMI is 27 in the overweight range. I don't look fat at all just have higher body fat because i eat a good amount of fatty foods.

Now those machines aren't spot on accurate plus i just walked into the store so my hear rate was slightly higher which increases your blood pressure a few points i believe. My heart rate was 89 bpm

I'm just laughing that pretty much up until my mid 20s i was stick skinny i could eat like a pig and i wouldn't gain weight. I played a lot of basketball since i was a kid up until late 20s. I haven't played basketball in about 3 years now and I'm 37 going be 38 this march.

My goal is to get started with this trucking career no later then the start of the summer. And when i say start i mean have my cdl and done with the training.

So with that said if i start going to the gym and shootin hoops and eating slightly better do you think i could have my BP down in say 3 months? Would i fail a physical with my results as they are now?

thanks

So with that said if i start going to the gym and shootin hoops and eating slightly better do you think i could have my BP down in say 3 months? Would i fail a physical with my results as they are now?

Yes you can dramatically improve your blood pressure in three months and you are right on the edge of failing it now. You have to have it at or below 140/90 and that can be with or without medication.

We have a massive amount of information in our wiki, including the DOT requirements for blood pressure and tips for lowering your blood pressure with diet and exercise:

Blood Pressure Requirements For The DOT Physical

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Guidelines & Advice

If your bp was that high, they would probably let you rest for a minute to see if it went down since at your height, your weight isn't that out of proportion. I'm 6'4" and float between 210-215 but my bp and pulse rate are and have always been in the safe range if not lower than expected. I know it freaked the doctors out when I had my work accident that my bp wasn't elevated and neither was my pulse. One even asked me if I actually felt pain lol. Exercise is always a good thing and maybe lay off the foods in high fatty acids for a bit. I'm sure a combination of both will get your bp down into a normal range in no time. Look into Tai Chi and yoga as well, both teach excellent breathing techniques that when used properly can control both bp and pulse.

Bananas ! lol potassium lowers BP

If your bp was that high, they would probably let you rest for a minute to see if it went down since at your height, your weight isn't that out of proportion. I'm 6'4" and float between 210-215 but my bp and pulse rate are and have always been in the safe range if not lower than expected. I know it freaked the doctors out when I had my work accident that my bp wasn't elevated and neither was my pulse. One even asked me if I actually felt pain lol. Exercise is always a good thing and maybe lay off the foods in high fatty acids for a bit. I'm sure a combination of both will get your bp down into a normal range in no time. Look into Tai Chi and yoga as well, both teach excellent breathing techniques that when used properly can control both bp and pulse.

Yeah my actual weight is normal it's my BMI body mass index i think that's body fat which makes me considered overweight. I have a slight gut but nothing that hangs over my belt lol

I do have a pretty good amount of stress in my life with family problems that i think is also contributing to this.

Bananas ! lol potassium lowers BP

No problem i like bananas especially in a bowl of rice crispies

Walking daily also helps a good bit. Anything to get active on a regular basis will help. Mine has been running about that high but before this I worked nights for nearly 5 years. In the last few weeks of flatbedding and getting better sleep I have lost 20lbs and my BP is dropping little by little.

You can use diet to significantly lower your blood pressure. The diet is called the DASH diet (link to the Mayo Clinic website).

I follow the Blood Type Diet and one time the nurse asked me "Is your blood pressure always this low?" Look for either Eat Right 4 Your Type or Live Right 4 Your Type at your local library. If they don't have it, they can probably get it from another library in your state.

So with that said if i start going to the gym and shootin hoops and eating slightly better do you think i could have my BP down in say 3 months? Would i fail a physical with my results as they are now?

Yes you can dramatically improve your blood pressure in three months and you are right on the edge of failing it now. You have to have it at or below 140/90 and that can be with or without medication.

We have a massive amount of information in our wiki, including the DOT requirements for blood pressure and tips for lowering your blood pressure with diet and exercise:

Blood Pressure Requirements For The DOT Physical

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Guidelines & Advice

Put down the salt shaker and grab the pepper sauce. Made a surprising difference for me.