If you suffer from hypertension, potassium may be valuable in helping you control it. It seems that people who suffer from high blood pressure respond to an increase of potassium in their diet. Researchers have found that in an eight week study 70% of those incorporating potassium into their diet had lower blood pressure readings. It is also important to maintain proper levels of potassium and sodium for best results. Potassium should be three times more prominent in the body than sodium to keep blood pressure levels within the normal range.
If you are on a low sodium diet, you will be getting a high content of potassium. Foods high in potassium include potatoes, bananas, kiwi and fish.
Calcium
Calcium seems to have a good effect on blood pressure for some people, but researchers have a hard time determining who it will benefit. It seems that people who are sodium sensitive also benefit from extra calcium in their diets.
Isometrics
Exercise is a very important part of controlling your blood pressure, but it is important to avoid isometric exercise, such as weight lifting. Weight lifting and other isometric exercise can send your blood pressure sky rocketing and cause more harm than good.
Aerobics
Aerobics can help to lower blood pressure levels, but caution must be used. Start by walking a quarter of a mile briskly. Continue until you can walk a mile briskly. At this point see your doctor for a physical exam and if he gives the okay, you may start running if you wish.
The reason that exercise reduces high blood pressure is that it opens blood vessels and that makes the blood pressure come down. Even though blood pressure goes up during exercise, it drops when the exercise ends. Then when it goes back up, it doesn’t reach such a high level.
Good exercise for people suffering from hypertension includes bicycling, walking, running and swimming, although running is not necessary as you do the same exercise by walking. The only difference is that it takes longer to walk.
The key to lowering blood pressure by walking is to walk briskly, swinging your arms. Start by walking a quarter mile and build up the length of the walks to a mile. You will be surprised at how much your blood pressure lowers after a regular routine of walking daily for two weeks to a month.