Things You'll Need:
- A home blood pressure monitor.
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Step 1
Reduce your intake of sodium. Most processed food today are laden with salt to improve flavor. Fortunately, more and more processed foods are using sea salt, which has a reduced level of sodium with no impact on taste. Campbell's soup has several products that either have reduced levels of sodium or use sea salt. Whenever possible, purchase products which use sea salt. You can also buy sea salt to use in your home cooking. Reducing sodium is one of the most important things that you can do for your health.
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Step 2
Exercise every day. When you get your heart pumping, your blood vessels will dilate as your heart pumps oxygen to all parts of your body. Frequent exercise will keep your blood vessels from constricting - raising your blood pressure. If you work in an office, why not skip lunch in favor of a long walk. It will help your blood pressure and your waist line.
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Step 3
Slow your breathing. It may sound like something from a new age guru, but numerous studies have confirmed that when you slow your breathing, your blood pressure will lower. Most people inhale 10 or more times per minute. If you slow your breathing to about 6 deep breaths per minute, your blood pressure begins to relax. Even better these results continue after your breath exercises are completed.
