{"id":145193,"date":"2016-11-29T14:54:22","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T14:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=145193"},"modified":"2016-11-29T15:17:22","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T15:17:22","slug":"keep-blood-pressure-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2016\/11\/29\/keep-blood-pressure-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep Your Blood Pressure Down Over the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The holidays are still several weeks ahead but the stress has already arrived. We are pressed to manage everything on time: work projects, gifts, decorations, food, socializing, the list goes on. A high external pressure can literally translate into high blood pressure at a time like that. Everyone is affected to a different degree but it is still the best time of the year to do things that help keep your blood pressure in check.<\/strong><br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>High blood pressure is no joke; it is the most important risk factor for premature death, responsible for about half of all deaths caused by cardiovascular disease in the western world each year. That\u2019s probably not a common issue amongst fit cycling enthusiasts, but the worrying thing is that recent research suggests even \u201chigh normal\u201d blood pressure (120\u2013129 \/ 80\u201384 mmHg) increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 46%. To make matters worse, studies have also shown that drug therapy for \u201chigh normal\u201d blood pressure is not effective. So, what can you do? As usual, optimize your diet and lifestyle.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Eliminate sweetened drinks and added sugar<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Studies have shown that reducing sugar intake lowers blood pressure. The biggest offenders are sweetened drinks because we often don\u2019t consider them food or don\u2019t calculate them into our sugar intake. We should! Or better yet, we should avoid sugary drinks all together.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BM6TrxzBgWX\/<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Add foods high in potassium<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Studies have shown that a high dietary intake of potassium is associated with lower blood pressure. High blood pressure is also practically nonexistent in traditional hunter-gatherer populations, and those have an average daily potassium intake of approximately 10,5 g\/d, when the average American consumes only about 2,8 g\/d a day. So, it\u2019s time to google \u201cpotassium rich foods\u201d. My favorites are avocado, banana, spinach, and sweet potatoes.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Eat cold water fish regularly<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Fatty fish contain a lot of omega-3 fatty acids, namely EPA and DHA, and those have been proven very effective at reducing blood pressure. Some people prefer fish oil, but considering its taste, the fact that three servings of cold water fish a week will do the same job, and that fish also contain high quality protein, I\u2019d go for the fish.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BDj0v0HDv_N\/\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/BDj0v0HDv_N\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Go ride your bike outside<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Nearly all types of exercise have been shown to significantly reduce blood pressure. Sunlight exposure can also help a lot because it stimulates the body to increase the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a potent vasodilator; it helps blood vessels to relax which lowers blood pressure.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What about salt?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Some studies do suggest that restricting salt can lower blood pressure but the evidence connecting salt intake and cardiovascular disease is very weak and some papers even suggest that restricting salt too much may be harmful. Unless you are an outlier that is \u201csalt sensitive\u201d, there\u2019s no strong evidence that reducing salt intake below one and a half teaspoons or 3,600 mg per day is beneficial.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The holidays are still several weeks ahead but the stress has already arrived. We are pressed to manage everything on [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":145195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[369,361],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-145193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-cycling-food","tag-nutrition"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Keep Your Blood Pressure Down Over the Holidays - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The holidays are still several weeks ahead but the stress has already arrived. 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