31 things you should do right now to avoid high blood pressure

Regular exercise helps us maintain a normal weight and reduces blood pressure levels, packing a one-two punch against heart disease and numerous other health issues. The current recommendations call for moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (think brisk walking) at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week or vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise for 1 hour and 15 minutes per week (think indoor cycling or running). Check in with your doctor before making any major changes to your workout schedule.

Find out how to overcome exercise excuses.

“Fibre makes us feel full for longer so we eat less and can maintain our weight,” Dr. Rahimi says. Aim for 21 to 38 grams of fibre each day. Great sources include dried beans, peas, fruits (with the skin on), vegetables and whole grains.

Here are 20 foods that can help you unclog your arteries.

Chocoholics rejoice: Wondering how to lower high blood pressure? Dark chocolate – when eaten in moderation – may help keep blood pressure levels in check. Research suggests that the blood pressure-lowering properties come from antioxidant-rich compounds called flavonoids found in cocoa and dark chocolate. Most studies suggest 30 to 100 grams (roughly one chocolate bar) a day to reap the benefits. “Dark chocolate still has calories so it’s important not to overdo it,” Dr. Heller warns.

It turns out that coconut oil is not a superfood after all, but there are a plethora of other healthy fats out there that can help keep your heart in prime shape. “Use olive oil or vegetable oil for cooking, and stay away from margarine and hydrogenated cooking oils,” Dr. Rahimi says.

The caffeine that gives coffee, energy drinks, tea, and other foods and drinks their kick can raise blood pressure levels for a brief period of time, Dr. Heller says. “There have also been studies showing these products can improve blood pressure in some people,” he says. If you have high blood pressure or are concerned about how caffeine affects you, ask your doctor how much you can safely consume each day. (And remember, a cup is just 250 ml.)

Discover 10 things that happen to your body after you quit coffee.

Stress – and our inability to cope with it – makes everything worse, and high blood pressure is no exception. Carving out some “you time” can help boost mental and physical health. “In mindfulness meditation, you put your focus and awareness on your breath, and become the observer of your thoughts rather than a reactor,” explains Mindfulness Meditation teacher Ora Nadrich.” By doing this, you allow for your thoughts to come in and out of your mind with acceptance and non-reactivity. This lowers your stress levels, which has a direct effect on lowering your blood pressure.” Free Apps like Insight Timer and Aura can help you get into the mindfulness groove.

Follow this advice on learning to relax.

Transcendental meditation (TM for short) is a form of meditation reportedly practiced by Jennifer Aniston, Ellen DeGeneres and Howard Stern among other A-list celebs. TM may do more than improve mental clarity, this age-old practice may also confer a reduction in blood pressure levels. One study found that meditators showed a significant drop in blood pressure and had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke and dying than their counterparts who did not meditate.

Teach yourself to meditate and beat stress.

Rich in olive oil, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and fish, the Mediterranean diet has been shown time and time again to lower blood pressure and heart disease risks. “This is not a diet as much as it is a lifestyle and these foods really work together to improve our overall health,” Greene says. Other blood-pressure lowering diets such as the DASH diet can also keep blood pressure in the normal range, she says.

Yoghurt has been shown to have many important health benefits, and now research adds lower blood pressure to the mix. Women who consumed five or more servings of yoghurt a week had a 20 percent lower risk of developing high blood pressure than women who hardly ever ate yoghurt, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology/Lifestyle 2016 Scientific Sessions.

Yogis may be on to something. The mind-body practice touted by millions may be able to prevent high blood pressure along with its many other health benefits. “Yoga is great exercise and it also has a stress reduction aspect to it so it makes sense that doing yoga would improve blood pressure,” Dr. Heller says.

These 4 soothing yoga poses will help send you to sleep.