Effective Lifestyle Changes to Lower Isolated Systolic Hypertension

Lifestyle changes are essential in managing isolated systolic hypertension (ISH), primarily by addressing the factors that elevate systolic blood pressure. These modifications work synergistically to improve heart health and reduce the risk of complications associated with high blood pressure. Key lifestyle changes and their impacts are outlined below:

Dietary Adjustments: One of the most significant interventions is adopting a heart-healthy diet, such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. This diet emphasizes nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins while minimizing sodium, saturated fats, and sugars. Sodium reduction is especially critical because high sodium intake leads to water retention, which increases blood pressure. Studies show that individuals following the DASH diet can lower their systolic blood pressure by up to 11 mm Hg, making it a cornerstone in ISH management.

Regular Physical Activity: Physical activity plays a vital role in lowering blood pressure. Exercise helps the heart become stronger, enabling it to pump blood with less effort. Aerobic activities like brisk walking, swimming, or cycling are particularly effective, with research suggesting that 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week can reduce systolic pressure by 5 to 8 mm Hg. Consistent exercise also aids in weight loss, further lowering blood pressure.

Weight Management: Carrying excess weight places additional strain on the cardiovascular system. Even a modest weight reduction of 5-10% can lead to a noticeable drop in systolic pressure, with some studies showing a reduction of up to 10 mm Hg. Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the most effective long-term strategies for managing ISH.

Limiting Alcohol and Quitting Smoking: Excessive alcohol intake and smoking are significant risk factors for hypertension. Reducing alcohol consumption to moderate levels (one drink per day for women, two for men) helps control blood pressure. Smoking, which damages blood vessels and stiffens arteries, should be entirely avoided. Quitting smoking can lead to improved vascular health and a marked reduction in blood pressure over time.

Stress Management: Chronic stress can elevate blood pressure by triggering the release of stress hormones that narrow blood vessels. Stress management techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, and yoga have been shown to reduce stress levels and promote relaxation, helping to lower systolic pressure.

Increasing Potassium Intake: Potassium helps regulate sodium levels in the body, mitigating sodium’s blood pressure-raising effects. Foods high in potassium, such as bananas, oranges, spinach, and sweet potatoes, are essential components of a heart-healthy diet and can contribute to lowering systolic pressure.

By incorporating these lifestyle modifications, individuals with ISH can significantly reduce their blood pressure and improve their overall cardiovascular health. Regular monitoring and consultations with healthcare providers ensure that these changes are tailored to individual needs and lead to optimal outcomes.
Effective Lifestyle Changes to Lower Isolated Systolic Hypertension

Arteriosclerosis: aetiology and symptoms

A thin layer of endothelium cells forms a lining that keeps the blood smoothly to flow. When the endothecium cells become damaged arteriosclerosis happened. Many factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, or hypercholesterolaemia can cause the damage.

Arteriosclerosis occurs when the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients from the heart to the rest of the body (arteries) become thick and stiff. Perhaps the most important form of arteriosclerosis is coronary heart disease. This leads to narrowing of the arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle, or to clots within their lumen – both of which block circulation.

Healthy arteries are flexible and elastic, but over time, the walls in arteries can harden, a condition commonly called hardening of the arteries. Hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis), involving principally the vessels of the brain, heart and kidneys, is a major cause of disability or death.

Atherosclerosis a specific type of arteriosclerosis is a disease of the arterial vasculature that is characterized by the disrupted balance and abnormal accumulation of lipids, inflammatory cells, matrix deposits and smooth muscle cell proliferation in and on the artery walls (plaque), which can restrict blood flow.

Arteriosclerosis in man develops earlier and more frequently in individuals with high blood cholesterol levels than in those with normal blood cholesterol. Arteriosclerosis usually affects older people, but it can start to develop during adolescence.

Symptoms:
Atherosclerosis in heart arteries – chest pain or pressure, difficulty breathing, vomiting, coughing
Atherosclerosis in arteries to the brain – facial numbness or weakness in arms or legs, headache, paralysis
Atherosclerosis in arteries in arms and legs – leg pain when walking
Atherosclerosis in arteries to kidney - high blood pressure, kidney failure, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating

Healthy lifestyle changes during young adulthood are associated with decreased risk and unhealthy lifestyle changes are associated with increased risk for subclinical arteriosclerosis in middle age.
Arteriosclerosis: aetiology and symptoms

Quitting Smoking - The Pathway To Success

By Ian Newton
According To Business Guru Jim Rohn the pathways to both success and failure are just a series of steps, both simple to do and easy not to do. So how does this apply to you quitting smoking?

A very common story I hear from smokers who had quit and then returned to cigarettes is that they started with just one. This may have happened in a stressful situation, or a special event, or just a moment of alcohol fueled stupidly.

The pathway was simple, just one then 2 or 3 a day and soon within weeks back to being a full smoker. At any point in the first few days they could have made a simple decision and just stopped, but it was so easy to keep going.

The good news is that you can reverse engineer the process to help you to quit simply and easily. Like any major change in life this comes with a decision. That is, a no going back cross your heart and hope to die type of decision.

But there are a couple of simple steps before that. Firstly you must find a couple of whys. The first why, is why to stop. You know all the common reasons plus a few of your own; these whys are the things you want to leave behind in your life. The next why, is why be a non-smoker, this may feel like the same but it is a positive set of reasons which will draw you into the future.

Next simple step is to imagine yourself, surviving easily as a non-smoker. Visualise being in regular situations without a cigarette.

Now you move to clearly identifying exactly how you will feel as a non-smoker. Words such as proud, successful, clean and happy are common thoughts. So just allow those feelings into your life now!

Next just call and make an appointment with your hypnotherapist, do any homework requested of you and turn up with a strong sense of expectation of success even if you feel nervous. Then your next step on the pathway to success is to follow through on any homework given after your session.

The last step is to feel grateful for quitting and every time you see a smoker or smell a cigarette you take just a moment to congratulate yourself for having done such an important thing for yourself and you loved ones.

I'm sure you can see that all of these steps to non-smoking success are do-able.

And now for more free info on how to easily and quickly quit cigarettes Ian Newton invites you to go to http://www.60minutestoquitsmoking.com/

Wishing you the best of health
Ian Newton
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_Newton

Formula to good health and healthy eating

Most American today are overfed yet undernourished, which eventually leads to obesity and poor health.

The answer to those pervasive problem is simply to eliminate the low nutrient to calories ration foods like processed grains, sugars, fatty processed meats, soft drinks and packaged snack foods, and increase the intake of high nutrient to calorie ratio foods like vegetables, fruits, seafood and whey protein.

A diet with a high nutrient to calorie ration supplies with large quantities of beneficial vitamins, minerals and other antiaging phytonutrients, but at the same time it reduces your calorie intake.

If you want to lean, fit, vigorous, and brought and happy, you must do what you are designed to do. People usually eat until they are full or satiated.

If you consume natural high nutrient but low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables, you can eat more volume and thus will feel satisfied for a longer period after eating.

It is very difficult to get fit by eating vegetables and fruit.

If you also make sure to include healthy lean protein with each meal, you will stay full longer and be able to avoid cravings.

If you trying to lose weight and not feel deprived, subtle changes can lead to realm lasting results.

A study researchers tested whether they could fool people into thinking they were eating the same amount of calories even though they trimmed their intake by 800 calories a day.

They did this by “super-sizing” the portions of foods with high nutrient to calorie like vegetable and fruits.

At the same time they cut high calorie synthetic foods containing sugars and fats by about 25%.

As turned out, the participant did not even notice that they were consuming fewer calories because they were eating more food and staying full longer.

On the other hand, when the researchers cut calories by just decreasing portion sizes, participants complained they weren’t getting enough to eat.

In other word, you will feel less deprived and have better luck losing body fat if you increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and cut out processed high sugar and high fat foods, rather than relying on cutting portion size alone.
Formula to good health and healthy eating

Avocado juice for healthy lifestyle

Avocados are the fruit of trees native to Central and South America. They are easy to eat, easy to digest and are rich in oils, proteins, and vitamins, particularly vitamin C.

It has plenty of vitamin A which builds up resistance against bacterial infections.

Avocado juice was used by the Mayans to keep their joints moving freely and to eliminate disease related to the joints such as rheumatism and arthritis.

The juice may also lower total cholesterol whole raising good cholesterol. Avocado are a good source of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that’s particularly adept at raising HDL cholesterol.

Juice of avocado removes colic, chills, in stomach, treats intestinal ulcers, corrects and normalizes stomach disorders. In addition it aids in changing the intestinal flora to fight with auto-intoxication, biliousness, colitis, and hyperacidity.

Avocados are higher source of potassium, and contain sodium which gives them a high alkaline reaction. Avocado also a great source of protein at 10 to 15 percent.

Avocado juice for healthy lifestyle

Healthy Lifestyles

Healthy Lifestyles
Doing regular physical activity is a healthy lifestyle that health experts feel is among the most important. Not only does it help you prevent many of the major illness and enhance your physical fitness and health, but also it can contribute to good health in other areas as well.

Their list includes some of healthy lifestyles that you can adopt to promote good fitness, health and wellness. These lifestyles are only of benefit if you choose to do them. The choices you make have much to do with your fitness, health and wellness.

• Be Physically Active

• Adopt Good Personal Health Habits

• Eat Properly

• Manage Stress

• Avoid Destructive Habits

• Adopt Good Safety Practices

• Seek and Follow Appropriate Medical Advice

• Practice Other Healthy Lifestyles

Healthy Lifestyles

Healthy Eating Lifestyle

Healthy Eating Lifestyle
Eat for variety
Foods from all food groups are important. Eat foods from all the food groups every day and choose a variety of foods within each food group. For optimum nutrition, eat more foods from the grain, fruits, and vegetables.

Eat fruits and vegetables at every meal and snack
Fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants; plus they provide fiber to help keep our bowels regular. We should get at least five servings of fruit and vegetables combined each day. Fruits and vegetable that are deep green or orange or red pack the most vitamin and minerals. It is important to select fruits and vegetables of different colors to get all of their beneficial nutrients.

Cempedak fruit

Go for whole grains
Whole grains contain more nutrients and fiber than processed or refined grains because the milling process removes the nutritional part of the grain. Aim to make half of all the grain foods that you eat the whole grain.

Limit foods and beverages with added sugar
Sweet drinks such as soda, fruit punch, lemonade, iced tea, and sport drinks have a lot of sugar but no vitamins or minerals. Consuming too much sweet drinks makes it hard to get all of the vitamins and minerals that your body needs. Soft drinks and sweets such as candy, cake, cookies and donuts can cause dental cavities, and they add to calorie intake, which makes it hard to keep a healthy weight.

Choose foods with healthy fat
The fat on our bodies serves several purposes: it protects our organs, keeps us warm, and stores our energy. Fat in food provides a feeling of fullness and it adds flavor. Some fat – namely unsaturated fat – is healthy for the heart, but other fat – the saturated fat – can damage arteries and lead to heart disease over time. Trans fat does the most damage and should be avoided.
Healthy Eating Lifestyle

Walking Not Enough

The Art of Healthy Lifestyle
Walking is a popular form of exercise, but may not be enough to experience significant health benefits.

Generally, low-intensity activity such as walking alone is not likely going to give anybody marked health benefits compared to programs that occasionally elevate the intensity.

Researchers were concerned that while people with health issues are encouraged to increase their volume of activity such as walking, there didn't seem to be much focus on the effort that needed to go into the activity.

The University of Alberta study put the popularized pedometer-friendly 10,000-step exercise program to the test against a traditional fitness program which incorporated cardio-based activities on equipment such as treadmills and stationary bicycles. The traditional group was asked to complete exercise at a moderate intensity, a level allowing for one or two sentences of conversation with ease. Intensity was not set for the walking group; they completed their daily exercise at a self-selected pace.

When researcher matched the two programs for energy expenditure, they found that the traditional fitness program improved aerobic fitness and reduced systolic blood pressure, more than the 10,000-step lifestyle program. Of the 128 sedentary men and women who completed the six-month research program, those who took part in a more active traditional fitness regimen increased their peak oxygen uptake, an indicator of aerobic fitness, by 10 per cent. Those who took part in the walking program experienced a four per cent increase. Systolic blood pressure also dropped by 10 per cent for the traditional fitness group, compared to four per cent for the group who just walked.

Other markers of overall health, such as fasting plasma glucose levels, response to a two-hour glucose tolerance test and various blood lipids were unaffected by either exercise program.

Most concern is that people might think what matters most is the total number of daily steps accumulated, and not pay much attention to the pace or effort invested in taking those steps.

The 10,000-step or pedometer-based walking programs are great for people--they are motivating, and provide an excellent starting point for beginning an activity program, but to increase the effectiveness, one must add some intensity or "huff and puff" to their exercise. Across your day, while you are achieving those 10,000 steps, take 200 to 400 of them at a brisker pace.

People got to do more than light exercise and move towards the inclusion of regular moderate activity, and not shy to interject an occasional period of time at the vigorous level.
The Art of Healthy Lifestyles

Food Trends

Each year, the food industry rushes to fill stores with new and interesting foods to meet the changing needs of consumers. These days, the trendy buzzwords range from "organic" to "functional foods." Food labels promise less trans fat, fewer calories, and more flavor. It seems that Americans want healthier food -- but they also want it to be easy and fast. 

Trends in food are ever-changing, depending on our lifestyles, research findings, and rules set forth by the FDA, among other things. For example, food manufacturers have been working to improve on Mother Nature. Technology allows manufacturers to add nutrients where they are not found naturally, the result being the trend toward so-called fortified foods. Influences on food trends come in large part from the growing population of baby boomers, many of whom are also "empty nesters." These boomers have more time to cook, and are paying more attention to foods' health effects while demanding upscale foods.

Beyond the grocery store, food trends reflect our desire to break bread with friends and family. For example, consider the growing trend toward "supper clubs" that merge people who share diverse backgrounds and cultural foods. Some of the popular food trends today include:

*Healthier foods. Americans want less bad stuff and more good stuff in their food. Look for more foods with reduced trans fat.

*Functional foods. Among the fastest-growing segments of the market are foods with added vitamins and minerals, which aim to help protect against disease and promote wellness.

*Organic and farm-friendly foods. Should you spend a little more and buy the organic, or "homestead" or "farmstead" (grown on a small or local farm) version of your favorite foods? Organic has gone mainstream, and many people swear by the benefits. 

*Leisurely dining. This is all about eating slowly, savoring every bite, and enjoying both the food and the social environment. In our hurry-up world, taking time to dine leisurely, as Europeans do, is catching on as a healthy trend.

*Supper clubs. Getting together people who enjoy great food and friendship is a hot trend in neighborhoods across the country.

*Eat more for less. Most everyone wants to lose weight, and this concept involves eating foods that are low in calories, yet high in volume. The idea is to feel full on fewer calories.

*Quick fix. Store shelves are stocked with ready-to-eat or easy-use food products that help fill our desire for home cooking with a little less hassle. You can use them to pull together a "halfway homemade" meal in a few minutes.

*Takeout. More people are ordering take-out food from full-service restaurants. Healthier, more upscale items at fast-food restaurants are also attracting more discriminating diners.

*Fancy. The premium food market is expected to grow, thanks to the demand for gourmet products.

*Exotic flavors. Bland is out, and highly flavored is in, including exotic fruit flavors, Asian influences, aged vinegars, and savory spicing.

*Grazing. Smaller, more frequent meals, as well as meal-replacement bars and drinks, may help people control calories.

*Heart health. Heart-healthy foods appeal to baby boomers and other health-conscious shoppers.
Food Trends