You can already have a huge influence on reducing your high blood pressure by changing your lifestyle habits¹. The most important changes that you can make are:

Doing regular physical activity plays an important role in getting your blood pressure controlled. You first need to discuss with your doctor the most suitable activity based on your physical status. The usual recommendation is 30 minutes of physical activity a day for at least 5 days a week².

When you are overweight, you are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Therefore, targeting optimal weight is a goal that each patient should try to reach. If you are overweight, losing weight complements the action of blood pressure lowering medication.

A formula can help you to calculate your recommended weight, which is based on your height. This formula determines body mass index (BMI). You just need to divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters) squared. An ideal BMI should be between 18.5 and 25 kg/m².

Good dietary and nutritional balance is also a key part of successful high blood pressure management. Diet is easy to improve if you follow these 4 main recommendations¹:

1 – Eat at least 5 portions of fruit & vegetables per day (300-400g)

2 – Limit the use of fats and oils (especially animal fats, palm oil)

3 – Limit salt consumption

4 – Eat more fatty fish, 2-3 times a week (salmon, sardines or mackerel)

Stress can, from time to time, increase your blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, stress can also encourage behaviours that will increase your blood pressure (for example, poor diet, physical inactivity, smoking, or drinking more alcohol than usual). Relaxing activities, such as Yoga or Taï chi, can help you to reduce your stress and manage it in your daily life!