For many people who work full time, healthy living requires effort. Sitting at a desk all day is not conducive to a healthy lifestyle and when your workday is done, you go home to make dinner, do laundry, clean the house, run errands... you get the idea. I once had a reality check when I tried to do my civic duty and donate blood – except my blood pressure was too high.
Blood pressure measures the pressure your blood puts on the walls of your arteries. Normal blood pressure is below 120 / 80 mm Hg. As one of the main risk factors for atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease (heart attack and stroke), and chronic kidney disease, it is estimated that about one out of three U.S. adults (31.3%) are affected by high blood pressure. Often labeled ’the silent killer', high blood pressure presents no symptoms and sadly one in five people (22.4%) have no idea they have it.
