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I've always been active and exercise regularly, so when I went for my last checkup and my blood pressure was 138 over 92, it was a bit of a surprise.

That's not technically high, but it's right on the cusp. And enough to motivate me to bring it down.

After six months of modifying my diet to restrict sodium, and take in more magnesium (avocados) and potassium (bananas), both of which help lower blood pressure, I am now consistently getting readings around 115 over 68. Much better.

And my resting pulse rate has also gone down. From an average of 68 to 48.

Anyone else watching their blood pressure and having success with diet modifications?

BP=125/85
HR-around 60/minute

Trying HARD to keep it that way.

Global_Citizen saidI've always been active and exercise regularly, so when I went for my last checkup and my blood pressure was 138 over 92, it was a bit of a surprise.

That's not technically high, but it's right on the cusp. And enough to motivate me to bring it down.

After six months of modifying my diet to restrict sodium, and take in more magnesium (avocados) and potassium (bananas), both of which help lower blood pressure, I am now consistently getting readings around 115 over 68. Much better.

And my resting pulse rate has also gone down. From an average of 68 to 48.

Anyone else watching their blood pressure and having success with diet modifications?

Blood pressure, resting heart rate and so on can vary all over the place. In my late 20's my resting heart rate was in the mid 40's when I biked a lot and didn't eat as much as I should. Now, my heart rate is higher, and, depending on my activity level it goes from around the high 60's on up to the mid 80s. My blood pressure stays about 135/75...sometimes a bit lower, and sometimes a a bit higher, if I get to much sodium. My cholesterol is 130. When I'm training for a contest, I can hold my heart rate at 160 for 20 minutes, although I probably couldn't do it today, and would need a month or two to get back in that conditioning. On my CMPs I'm considered in the top 2% of fitness levels (I've also had fitness tests done), and I'm considered at no risk of a heart attack, and a very low risk of stroke. My blood work is great, and is testimonial to a lifestyle of 34 years of weightlifting and being active. As they say, the proof is in the numbers. Most sensible doctors are probably going to want a BP below 140/90, although some are nuts...and will medicate it way down, but, turn the patient into a zombie in the process.

There is some school of thought that a systolic pressure over 115 is to high (I've met a doctor that thinks that) but with most people that's nearly impossible without over medicating them. Most doctors I've talked to are more concerned about a diastolic pressure over 90.

I found that avoiding things with sodium keeps the bp where it needs to be. I've also found that I can get my BP down to around 125, doing intense cardio regularly. When you have lots of dense muscle, your bp is going to run a bit higher...there's just no getting around it.

Mine's around yours, GC, and has been for a while now. BP is almost the exact same, if slightly lower, and my average resting pulse is 45. I thought that was an abnormality years ago when I went in for a physical, as I had just started getting back in shape and figured it should have been higher, but it's stayed around there even as I've gotten into even better shape. I think I'm just blessed with good heart health, as my cholesterol is also rather low.

Actually, when I was applying for Peace Corps I had to get medical checkups done as part of the routine application. They made me go back in and get a second test on my heart rate when they saw it was 45, because they though something was wrong with me with a heart rate that low. My doctor looked at me confusedly and just basically said that no, they're overly worried since and it's perfectly healthy to have that low of a heart rate. Silly PC doctors.

60 over 110

and blood pressure "low"

130/75

69

BP 110/60
resting pulse 42
I guess I'm barely alive...

Below is the latest recommendations from the National Institute of Health for blood pressure. The upper limits of normal over time have been lowered. When I was in school ages ago, we were taught that a normal systolic blood pressure was 100 plus your age. So if your 50 it was OK to have a systolic of 150

Normal heart rate is considered 60 to 100 beats per minute....However well conditioned athletes can have heart rates as low as 30 beats per minute. If you have a slow heart rate (bradycardia), make sure it is do to athletic conditioning and not some structural heart abnormality like AV block or other medical problem.


Category Systolic Diastolic
Normal < 120 and < 80
Prehypertension 120-139 or 80-89
High Blood Pressure
Stage 1 Hypertension 140–159 or 90–99
Stage 2 Hypertension greater than or equal to160 or greater than or equal to100

87/108 here

My current two doctors feel the new bp chart is bunk, and both told me that getting most folks less than 130 is near impossible. Kinda' like the BMI thing.
My doc of a few years back, fired now, wanted it at 115, which is nearly impossible without a buttload of meds in most people. Of course, Big Pharm has their own agenda, and no doctor wants to be sued for not hanging with the pack.

chuckystud saidMy current two doctors feel the new bp chart is bunk, and both told me that getting most folks less than 130 is near impossible. Kinda' like the BMI thing.
My doc of a few years back, fired now, wanted it at 115, which is nearly impossible without a buttload of meds in most people. Of course, Big Pharm has their own agenda, and no doctor wants to be sued for not hanging with the pack.

Chucky is correct...An HMO can be very critical of a physician that does not follow the guidelines..the physician could be terminated....If a physician is sued for malpractice the plaintiff's attorney will present to the jury that the physician did not follow the guidelines..this makes the physician look incompetent, even though he is not...There is a guideline for everything. All these guidelines are a hot issue in the medical community.

Note that some of these "quacks" practice defensive medicine and NOT wellness promotion / disease prevention. I've met some 30 year olds zombied out on beta blockers which is STUPID.

More than one geriatric patient has had the quality of their lives ruined by doctors over medicating them with beta blockers, CCB's and, ACE inhibs.

Health care in this country is a mess.

Instead of telling a lard ass to get their hormones checked, get to the gym, and on a digit control program, they fill them full of Big Pharm and turn them into couch zombies.

It's pathetic that we put young men in jail over pot, and yet let fat folks self-destruct as they do.

How is that you say? Well, in The United States of America, jails and medical TREATMENT are growth industries.

While I'm ranting...did you know we have nearly 2.5 times as many folks in jail here than in China which has a much higher population?

Anyway...most folks need exercise, fluids, and less fat. PERIOD. Most folks need a wellness program, as opposed to a disease treatment program. Most folks need to take some personal responsibility for their health.

Blood pressure last time it was checked was 118 over 74. Don't know what my resting heart rate is.

I've had hypertension since my 20s, and readings of 165/105 are not unusual without medication. With meds I can stay around 124/70, resting rate about 65, which is acceptable at age 60. In fact, I sometimes have trouble getting my pulse over 100 when doing cardio, barely inside my age target range.

Regular exercise also helps to keep my BP down, and if I can maintain almost daily workouts of an hour or more, I can dispense with the meds altogether. Unfortunately, other health issues prevent that lately, so these days I'm totally dependent on pills to control my BP. Diet control has never produced noticeable results for me, and I've always watched my salt intake anyway.

Resting heart rate's around 70. I can hold my heart rate at 180 for 20 minutes and my blood pressure's around 120/80 sometimes dropping real low if I take a heavy hit of insulin.