How Flexible Are You?
Here are three simple tests to gauge your current flexibility level:
1. Lower Body Flexibility
- Sit on a chair with your back straight.
- Keep one foot on the floor and raise the other leg to be parallel to the floor.
- If you can raise your leg to thigh height without shift position or raising your other foot you have a decent range of motion in your lower body.
2. Upper Body Flexibility
High Blood Pressure and Flexibility – What do they have to do with each other?
Flexibility refers to the ability of your joints to move through a full range of motion. How flexible you are in a particular joint is connected to the muscle length that attaches to that joint and how far that muscle will stretch. Having flexibility in your muscles allows for greater movement around joints. The shorter and less flexible the muscle, the tighter the joint.
What Does Flexibility Have to Do with High Blood Pressure?
High Blood Pressure – 4 Frequently Asked Questions
High blood pressure is a serious condition that requires treatment. Here are answers to four frequently asked questions you need to know.
What is high blood pressure?
Blood pressure equals the force pushing against your artery walls when your heart beats and when it rests. The systolic pressure is the force against artery walls when your heart beats (contracts), while the diastolic pressure is the pressure against your artery walls when the heart relaxes (between beats).
High blood pressure is a reading equal to or greater than 140/90 mm Hg. A reading between 120-139/80-89 mm Hg falls within the pre-hypertension category. A blood pressure below 120/80 mm Hg is considered normal. High blood pressure is typically diagnosed after more than one elevated blood pressure reading.
Why is high blood pressure dangerous?
Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 3
Here’s another four questions with answers from my interview with Dr. Mark Houston in February 2010.
Lisa Nelson RD: If someone has been on blood pressure medication for many years and they take steps to lose weight and improve their diet is it likely they’ll be able to discontinue their medication or will they be on medications for life?
Dr. Houston: About a 60% of patients that follow the guidelines in the book that I wrote on What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Hypertension can stop meds over 6-12 months if they do everything correct as outlined.
Lisa Nelson RD: If someone is newly diagnosed with high blood pressure, how much time should be allowed if the individual prefers to make diet and lifestyle changes to lower the blood pressure before turning to medication?
Dr. Houston: I recommend getting the blood pressure down soon with both meds and lifestyle changes to protect the arteries and reduce cardiovascular disease based on some recent studies. Later on, if blood pressure is controlled then you can taper the medications.
Lisa Nelson RD: Do any of the over-the-counter meds for high blood pressure and high cholesterol work – or are they just snake oil ads?
Dr. Houston: There are some good supplements that work for blood pressure and cholesterol, but most over the counter are not good. The best source is BIOTICS RESEARCH at 1-800-231-5777. For blood pressure use VASCULOSIRT. Also for blood pressure is CARDIOSIRT BP (this one will be out in the spring). These will reduce blood pressure well along with the lifestyle changes recommended in the book above. The best for cholesterols is LIPIDSIRT. It can be used with the new niacin and red yeast rice from BIOTICS if needed. This may decrease cholesterol with the combination by 40-50%.
Lisa Nelson RD: How effective do you feel the supplements l-arginine, coQ10, and omega 3 are at preventing cardiac problems?
Dr. Houston: I would use omega 3 fatty acids in almost everyone to reduce heart attack, stroke, blood pressure, improve triglycerides and improve memory. The best omega 3 fatty acid on the market is EFA-SIRT SUPREME from BIOTICS research at 1800-231-5777. The CoQ10 is excellent as well. Doses of about 100 to 200 mg of a good quality CoQ10 will lower systolic blood pressure about 15 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure about 10 mm Hg in 50% of patients. The CoQ10 is in both the VASCULOSIRT AND THE CARDIOSIRT BP from BIOTICS at 1-800-231-5777.
Part 1 – Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston
Part 2- Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston
There will be one final part to this Q&A. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the final part is posted.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 2
Here are more of the questions and answers from my interview with Dr. Mark Houston in February 2010.
Lisa Nelson RD: Is there a connection between blood pressure and heart rate?
Dr. Houston: If blood pressure increases, normally the heart rate should decrease. However, in some patient with dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system the heart rate may increase with the blood pressure.
Lisa Nelson RD: Blood pressure fluctuation – What causes blood pressure to fluctuate drastically throughout the day? Is it something to worry about?
Dr. Houston: Most people have fluctuations during the day due to the normal circadian rhythm (high in AM and low in PM). Stress, anger, eating, exercise, rest, meditation, coffee are some of the things that will alter blood pressure. About 60 % of patients that drink coffee have increase blood pressure for several hours after consumption.
Lisa Nelson RD: What is the risk of not treating high blood pressure? For example, someone has a blood pressure of 160/100, but they feel perfectly fine. Why should they be concerned and seek treatment?
Dr. Houston: Heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure, loss of vision, aortic rupture, valve dysfunction, atherosclerosis. Hypertension is the silent killer. At this level the arteries will be damaged over time and all of these complications will occur. At that high level of blood pressure one will decrease life expectancy by about 15 years or more.
Lisa Nelson RD: Do blood pressure recommendations change with age?
Dr. Houston: A normal blood pressure is 120/80 regardless of age. If it goes up with age it means the arteries are not healthy, but very stiff.
Lisa Nelson RD: What is a normal blood pressure response post exercise? How quickly should heart rate return to normal post exercise?
Dr. Houston: Blood pressure will fall for several hours after exercise depending on hydration status and severity and length of exercise. Usually systolic (top number) blood pressure falls about 10-15 mm Hg and diastolic (bottom number) 5-10 mm Hg. Heart rate should return to normal within 2 minutes post exercise.
Part 1 – Top Heart Health Questions Answered By Dr. Houston
I’ll be posting more of the Q&A with Dr. Houston over the next few weeks. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the new blog posts are added.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
Dr. Houston Answers Your Top Heart Health Questions – Part 1
I had the opportunity to interview hypertension expert Dr. Mark Houston last month (February 2010). Here are three of the questions he answered.
Lisa Nelson RD: It is typically recommended that cholesterol medications be taken prior to bed. Would you explain the reason why? Also, is there a best time of day to take blood pressure medication?
Dr. Houston: Statins work best at night to inhibit an enzyme in the liver when cholesterol production is the highest. Blood pressure medications are best taken at night to reduce the early morning increase in blood pressure which is highest between 3 AM and 10AM.
Lisa Nelson RD: If you discontinue a blood pressure medication how long does it stay in your system?
Dr. Houston: It depends on the duration of action of the medication. Some of the longer acting medications may last for 24 to 72 hours. However most are gone in 24 hours or less. Never stop any blood pressure medication abruptly especially beta blockers and clonidine, as withdrawal may occur with rapid increases in blood pressure, heart rate, headache, chest pain, palpitations and even heart attack or stroke.
Lisa Nelson RD: When someone has uncontrolled systolic blood pressure (diastolic tends to be within normal) what are steps they can take to promote control of systolic blood pressure?
Dr. Houston: Low salt, high magnesium intake, high potassium intake, fruits and vegetables, exercise, weight loss. The best medications for Systolic blood pressure are ACEI, ARB and CCB. Diuretics and beta blockers are less effective. High systolic usually means stiff arteries.
I’ll be posting more of the Q&A with Dr. Houston over the next few weeks. Sign-up for the e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure and you’ll also be notified when the new blog posts are added.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com
