I say beating high blood pressure without medicine, when what I mean is "controlling high blood pressure without medication" or another translation could be "controlling high blood pressure with diet and exercise". Here is how I am beating high blood pressure.
I went to the doctor last week, on January 29th, 2009. I was found to have high blood pressure that measured my systolic at 124 and my diastolic at 96. I was very frustrated to get hit by this, but figured it would come eventually since I am by most parts a geek that just sits behind his computer and punches keys (which is not yet considered physical activity). That's OK though, I asked the Doc for some time to take care of this issue on my own and he has given me 12 weeks. The first thing I did was travel to work and re-measure on a machine that that I could use normally, the result was similar 148 over 97; the only difference is this is the same machine I will use over the next twelve weeks to monitor my progress.
Week 1 is now over, and this is me holding my self accountable, now that the world can see it. The doctor told me to lose 10 pounds by dieting and exercise, so here is the type of exercises I have chosen and the frequencies that I complete them.
| Exercise | Frequency | Tool |
| Yoga | 6x a week (~20 minutes) | Wii Fit |
| Isometrics | 6x a week (~20 minutes) | Wii Fit |
| Aerobic | 5x a week (~35 minutes) | Elliptical |
| Weight Resistance | 2-3x a week (30 minutes) | Home gym |
My diet is Herbalife (which if I have inspired you to sign up, then leave a response or email me at jancel@gmail.com and I can discuss your goals and options with you). The long and short is that this diet really helps to control your appetite, provides a healthy vitamin course, and really does make a difference in the way you feel day to day. Here is what my schedule looks like for eating.
| Meal | Amount | Time |
| Shake/Meal Replacement | 8 Ounces Soy Milk, Herbal Life Shake Mix | 5:45AM |
| Peanuts/Soynuts/~90 Calorie healthy snack | 1 ounce of peanuts or similar amount of soy nuts | 9:00AM (this roughly translates to as late as possible) |
| Shake/Meal Replacement | 8 Ounces Soy Milk, Herbal Life Shake Mix (Different flavor then breakfast) | 11:00AM |
| Fruit/Crackers/~90 Calorie healthy snack | Cheerios, Fruit, Wheat Thins, etc | 2:00PM (this roughly translates to as late as possible) |
| Salad/Complex Carbs/Decent Dinner | Equivalent fruits, veggies and meat to about 800 calories | 5:45PM-6:15PM |
Throughout the day, I try to drink as much water as possible. Currently my daily consumption of tea, water and coffee equate to about 80 ounces, which isn't enough but is a start.
Week 1 Result
I was able to maintain the diet and exercise appropriately. This has caused my Tivo to get backed up with shows, the amount of shows I was watching was unbelievable (WOW!). So I hope my hard drive is large enough. I may have to re-factor this to a Tivo upstairs as well so I can watch shows while I am exercising (this would add about 5 hours of TV catch up every week). My wife did real well too, though she has slipped a little on the Aerobic and weight training. It may be important to mention that she doesn't have high blood pressure and has less weight to control than I do. Here is a breakout of my results for the week.
| Week | Measurement | Jeff | Lani |
| 0 | Blood Pressure | 148/96 | - |
| 1 | " | 138/82 | - |
| 0 | Weight Lost | 0lbs | 0lbs |
| 1 | " | 5lbs | 3lbs |
Please note that we both have been feeling much better and other parts of our life have been increased very well for the first week of a diet. This is an amazing result, of which I will try to update weekly. This is my accountability system, and it may help to motivate my wife as well.
Tips for Success
Currently, the tips I am going to provide are ones that I am following closely.
- Lock a diet plan in place for at least the first 2 months, similar habits, meals, exercise, etc. The less you move from this, the more likely you will be to maintain it for the long haul.
- After an initial period of time, still stick as close to possible to the plan but be more flexible in your choices. (i.e. replace peanuts with another equivalent)
- Set goals. Determine what you want to get out of this diet. Remember that eventually you will want to start calling this a lifestyle change, as that is actually what this is
- If done properly, you will see measurable differences (especially in the beginning). If it is not measurable, you may have to increase duration, frequency or eating habits.
I will be back next Friday with another update. I hope this has helped.