Source: Katherine Jury, Extension Specialist for Family Health  

Does high blood pressure run in your family? Has your doctor recommended that you should watch your blood pressure? 

You can help prevent high blood pressure, also called hypertension, by making healthy choices daily.  

Try taking these steps each day to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range: 

· Choose to eat a variety of healthy foods, including lots of vegetables and fruit. Additionally, choosing foods rich in potassium, fiber and protein and lower in salt and saturated fat are good for heart health. Making these healthy changes can help keep blood pressure low and protect against heart disease and stroke. 

· Be physically active. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults get at least two and a half hours of moderate intensity exercise every week which can include brisk walking, bicycling or other forms of cardiovascular exercise. This is equal to about 30 minutes of activity per day, five days a week. Children and adolescents should get one hour of physical activity every day. 

· Limit or quit certain habits, such as smoking and drinking excessively. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk for all forms of heart disease. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit. Limiting your alcohol intake can also help your blood pressure. For heart health, men should have no more than two alcoholic drinks per day. Women should have no more than one alcoholic drink per day. 

· Get adequate sleep. Habitually getting at least seven to nine hours of sleep per night is another way to manage blood pressure and increase your overall health. 

If these lifestyle choices seem overwhelming, choose one area to begin.