I have high blood pressure.
A few months back, when I joined the fitness center, they did a reading and it was high/normal. Meaning the guy told me it was fine, but when I looked the number up online, it said prehypertension. I shrugged it off.
Last summer, on my way back from the gym, I got it read @ the machine in Target. It also said prehypertension. I shrugged it off thinking I just got through a strenuous work out, that musta been what caused it.
After my reading this morning, I can no longer afford to shrug it off. My pressure reading is 148/74.
The woman who did the reading kept looking @ me w/confused and concerned eyes. I think I went into a bit of denial when she gave the reading b/c I don’t even remember uttering a word, just nodding my head dumbly thinking I have to keep a brave face. Not sure why.
Then I gathered up a few pamphlets and booklets and beat a hasty retreat. After getting some work done, all the while my head is swimming w/the phrase, “I have high blood pressure” and feeling tears wanting to sting my eyes, I have to accept that I did this to me.
It’s mostly food, though in recent years I’ve gotten better at not dousing everything in salt but it’s mainly weight. Tipping the scales @ 200lbs is doing this. I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I’m a bit under stress w/planning to move in the next few months and finding a place to live. This has been one of the worst weeks for me in recent months, but w/o all the fluff…it’s the weight.
While things have been hectic, I fought very hard not to let my workouts go completely kaput and have managed to workout @ least 2x a week up to 5 times a week in the last month doing anything from @ least 30 mins to 45 mins.
So it’s weight. I can’t continue to dick around w/this. What seems like forever and ever ago, my blood pressure used to be under 120. That, more than anything else, will be my new focus, to get my blood pressure in the optimal range, 120/80.
This has been my wake up call.
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