Tips to Lower Blood Pressure

How to Reduce Your Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, like high blood glucose, is a medical condition that can be dramatically improved by the everyday decisions you make and the actions you take. You can do right by your body and enjoy better health with simple acts such as choosing healthful, low-sodium products at the grocery store and walking for 30 minutes each day.

"Research repeatedly shows that making one or more lifestyle changes, from eating more fruits and vegetables to walking more, lowers blood pressure," says Eva Obarzanek, Ph.D., MPH, R.D., research nutritionist at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "Any movement of mercury downward improves your odds of staying healthy."

Choose one or more of the following steps to start lowering your blood pressure now. Don't delay -- make a change at your next meal or take a 10-minute walk. Bonus: Some of these same steps can improve your blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides, too.