Curb hypertension and obesity by monitoring your blood pressure

Did you know that being overweight increases your blood pressure? It’s simple, the more you weigh, the harder your blood has to work to supply oxygen to your body, including your brain.  When you start to put on more and more weight, it takes a lot more pressure to circulate the blood all around your body; therefore your heart kicks into overtime mode, which increases your blood pleasure making you hypertensive. Hypertension can cause a ton of life-threating issues and is the leading cause of strokes and heart attacks. So the answer to this “silent killer” is to maintain a healthy body weight.

Let’s look at obesity

“Obesity is a “progressive” chronic disease, similar to diabetes or hypertensive high blood pressure, which is characterized by abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health.” https://obesitycanada.ca/obesity-in-canada/

I know we all like to think it does, but obesity doesn’t happen overnight. When you start to consume more calories than you can burn, you will start to put on weight. If this isn’t managed, in time, you will become obese. Living a healthy lifestyle is the key to losing unwanted pounds and to maintaining a “normal body weight”. How do you know what’s considered a “normal body weight”? That’s where BMI – Body Mass Index comes into play. BMI is a simple calculation using a person’s height and weight. The formula is BMI = kg/m² where kg is the person’s weight in kilograms and m² is their height in meters squared. A BMI of 25 or more is considered to be overweight, whereas a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered to be a healthy range. Anything over 30 would have you fall into the obese range. You’re probably thinking that’s crazy! Don’t panic. We all need to start somewhere. Now that you’ve calculated your BMI and realize your once “big-boned” body is actually classified as medically overweight or OBESE, there are a few things you can do to get your body back on track!

Purchase a bathroom scale

Purchasing a bathroom scale is the first step in starting your walk to a healthier and better you! Bath scales tend to have a bad rep because they don’t like to beat around the bush. Their motto is honesty is the best policy. Body Analyzer Scales also known as Body Fat Scales can be even more discouraging as they give you a detailed snapshot of your overall health, measuring not only your BMI but water and muscle percent, calorie intake, etc. Purchasing a bath scale will light a fire under your butt and motivate you to start losing weight. As you see the numbers start to drop on your scale your self-esteem will boost and sudden your motivation will skyrocket. Your clothes will start to fit better and people will start to ask you, “hey have you lost weight?” which you will simply reply with “hmm, you know something, maybe a little”.  People love seeing results! If you’re going to put in the time and effort you’re going to feel AMAZING when you get good results. So don’t wait, pick up a bath scale that meets your needs and goals and have some fun choosing one that matches your décor!

Now, that you have a bath scale the next purchase on your list should be a Portion Control Kitchen Scale. Tracking portion sizes is also a sure way to lose excess weight. Portion Scales also known as Diet Scales help you understand correct serving sizes. Be prepared, you may be shocked.  What you thought was dinner for one actually might be dinner for two… or three! Don’t give up! Get in the hang of using your scale daily. Calculating correct portion sizes will start to get easier the more you do it. This is a great tool to use during meal prep!

Last but not least on your new plan to a healthier and better you, is exercise! Even going for a walk for 30 minutes a day could change your life. Pick up a pedometer as motivation. Your pedometer will calculate your heart rate while keeping track of your steps. Better yet, get your partner or a friend involved and start a game, “who can walk the most steps a day”. Soon enough you’ll find your once couch potato self walking laps around your house try to beat the other person.

And finally, checking your blood pressure periodically is also very important, especially if you’ve been diagnosed with hypertension. Once you’ve started your weight loss journey you may notice a change in your blood pressure numbers.  Your once high blood pressure will start to lower, the more weight you lose. Less body weight equals lower blood pressure. Your body won’t need to work as hard as it did before therefore not as much pressure is needed.

So all in all, maintaining a healthy body weight should definitely be a goal on your list, especial if you’re battling health problems. Following the suggestions above should improve your overall physical and mental health. Because after all, “If you look good, you feel good”! Don’t let Hypertension also know as the “silent killer” dictate your life. Don’t look at it as a death sentence but rather a challenge. It’s time to grab this bull by the horns and knock it out of the park.

Purchase a bathroom scale and a blood pressure machine to start monitoring both at home today.

Author: Patricia Gregory, Product Manager, BIOS Medical