The winter months can be brutal on your health, especially when it comes to your blood
pressure.
You can blame it on the cold temperatures, staying indoors more, inactivity,
and of course the non-stop food fests that go from Halloween to St. Patrick’s Day.

And if this describes your lifestyle, then you may want to have your blood pressure
checked out and if it’s a little (or very) high, talk to your health-care provider and map
out a plan to get it down.
And if your health-care provider says your blood pressure isn’t too high, then you
may be able to lower it with the simple strategies listed below.

Tip No. 1-
Eat This For Breakfast-
Or dinner. What is it? Amaranth. It’s an ancient grain that doesn’t get the attention
like oatmeal or barley, but if lowering blood pressure is a goal, this is the porridge
you should be eating.
Amaranth is loaded with magnesium, a nutrient nearly half of us are deficient in.
Just a cup of Amaranth provides 160 mg.–that’s 50% of your daily needs. And even
better news: For every 100 mg. increase in daily dietary magnesium intake, risk
of hypertension, or high blood pressure, decreases by 5%.

Tip No. 2-
Grab a Tennis Ball-
Or a small rubber ball and squeeze it for a few minutes each day. Doing isometric
hand grip moves curb systolic BP by up to 10 points and diastolic BP by up to
7 points by making vessels more flexible. Do this exercise while reading a book (or
magazine) or when you’re watching television or a youtube video.

Tip No. 3-
The Valentine’s Day Secret-
Feb. 14th is supposed to be the day many of us are required to show our loved
ones more affection and if it this is the only time you do that (show affection),
you may want to step up your game and show it more often.
Why?
Snuggling or cuddling for 10 to 15 minutes each day curbs the top number
(systolic) and bottom number (diastolic) BP readings by 10%. Snuggling
reins in tension and gently slows heart rate, which brings down blood
pressure.
No significant other to cuddle or snuggle with?
You can snuggle your pet, a stuffed animal or head to a senior center
and pass out hugs to the forgotten and lonely veterans and/or seniors.

Tip No. 4-
Take a Breath-
If an anxiety attack should occur or something stressful happens to you,
what do friends and family usually recommend?
Sit down and take a few deep breaths. It not only works for stress or
anxiety, new research says it could also lower blood pressure.
Twice a day, take 2 minutes to breathe in slowly, then fully exhale.
This exercise (10 relaxed breaths) sends total blood pressure plunging
by up to 17 points by stimulating an area of the brain that triggers relaxation.

Tip No.5-
Eat More Plants-
You may not want to hear about eating more greens (vegetables), but following
a diet built around more plants can trigger changes that cut blood pressure
by up to 50 points and cholesterol by up to 75 in less than 3 weeks.
It doesn’t have to be a strict “vegan” diet, but perhaps you can skip meat
1 to 3 times a week and bring in more plant foods.
Need help finding information and recipes?
Head to youtube.com and type plant recipes in the search bar.

Tip No. 6-
Drink a Hot Beverage.
No, not coffee, but tea and the type of tea that’s
recommended for lowering blood pressure is Oolong tea.
It’s often recommended for weight loss, but thanks to new research, the
tea can improve circulation and widen blood vessels, which brings down
blood pressure.

That’s it- 6 simple steps to bring down winter blood pressure.

Sources:
* Vegan Food & Living Magazine
* NIH Study
* Brazilian Research Team
* University of Missouri, Research Dept.

Please pass this article on to friends and family who may be dealing
with blood pressure issues this time of year.
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Reddit, Snapchat, Tik-Tok and Twitter.

Thank-You!