Lifestyle 365, Part 5: Blood Pressure
Lifestyle 365 blog series
Part 5: Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. You probably have your blood pressure checked every time you visit your doctor’s office, but did you know we check your blood pressure at Pinnacle as well? It’s an important indicator of your overall health! Your blood pressure gives the therapist information regarding your baseline cardiovascular status, response to exercise/activity, and guides exercise prescription. Accurate measurement of blood pressure is critical for making appropriate clinical decisions. We checked your blood pressure with our Health Risk Assessment during our evaluation process for new fitness members and patients.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) usually has no symptoms, but it can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack, vision loss, and kidney failure. Hypertension has been cited as the leading risk factor contributing to premature cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Your risk increases even more if you have hypertension along with other risk factors:
- Age
- Heredity
- Gender (male)
- Overweight or obesity
- Smoking
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Physical inactivity
New research has found by engaging Americans at high risk for heart disease in aggressive efforts to lower their blood pressure could save more than 100,000 lives a year.
Systolic
The systolic number is the top number, and is the higher of the two numbers. When your heart beats, it pushes blood into the arteries. This pressure pushes against the walls of your arteries. The systolic pressure is the maximum pressure exerted when the heart contracts. Your blood pressure also fluctuates throughout the day, and a lot of things can cause these changes. Blood pressure that is consistently high is known as the “Silent Killer” due to its link to cardiovascular issues such as heart attack and stroke.
Diastolic
The diastolic blood pressure is the bottom number, and is the lower of the two numbers. It measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats, when the heart is relaxing and refilling with blood. Unlike systolic blood pressure, healthy diastolic blood pressure does not rise greatly with increased physical exertion.
Your personal fitness program with a coach
With our Lifestyle 365 program, we create a personalized fitness program just for you to help meet your goals. Our wellness coaches keep you accountable with weekly check-ins and track your progress with several measurements, such as Blood Pressure, Waist to Hip Ratio, Body Fat % and more. Contact us today to setup a consultation with a wellness coach to get started with Lifestyle 365.