Among the other downsides to blood pressure that is outside of the normal range is that it significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The two most effective weapons we have to fight high blood pressure are exercise and diet.
Even if you are taking prescription medicine to lower blood pressure, eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly will enhance the effectiveness of the medication.
In this piece I am going to concentrate on how to begin to incorporate a reasonable exercise program into your life and leave the question of diet for another day.
If you are just beginning to exercise there are a couple of decisions you need to make; first, what are your goals? It is important to have a goal in mind before you start but that goal needs to be realistic.
For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds it is better to make your initial goal 10 or 15 pounds.
Achieving this first, intermediate, goal will provide the drive to lose the next 10 and so on.
Next, you should plan on exercising for at least a half an hour on most days of the week.
This is a lot more doable if you spend the time doing something you enjoy.
If you enjoy riding your bike, then do that for at least 30 minutes at least 5 days a week.
Or, if you find peace in gardening, schedule that activity for a minimum of a half an hour several days a week.
The most important part of this is not what you do but, rather, that you do something for a specific period of time.
Other exercise activities can be found everywhere; housework, walking at the mall, taking the stairs, and parking at the back of the lot all count as well.
The key is to begin to adopt a lifestyle that focuses on movement.
Start your new program slowly so you don't hurt yourself and concentrate on increasing the level of exercise as your body and heart get stronger.
Of course joining a gym is also an option but some people find a gym to be an intimidating experience.
Walking into a place with wall to wall mirrors and a bunch of very fit folks in spandex takes some courage.
But if you do you will soon find that exercise is a pretty individual activity and everyone is too focused on their own goals to pay much attention to anyone else.
I recommend shopping around for a gym before signing up for monthly commitment.
Gyms vary a lot and chances are you will find one that you feel comfortable with.
I would also recommend that you invest in an inexpensive heart rate monitor.
These devices consist of two pieces, a strap that you wear underneath your shirt around your chest that senses your actual heart rate and a watch/monitor you wear on your wrist.
The watch receives a signal from the strap and displays your actual heart rate.
These heart monitors can be purchased for well under a hundred dollars and they are much more accurate than trying to take your own pulse manually or depending on the heart rate monitors on some treadmills and elliptical machines.
The last piece of advice I will leave you with is to see your doctor on a regular basis.
Too many of us wait until something is amiss before making an appointment and that's just silly.
If you enlist your doctor as a partner in an exercise program you are going to have a lot more information to work with.
Your doctor can tell you what a target heart rate should be for optimum results and also educate you to the negatives that can occur from over exercising, or exercising incorrectly.
These are especially valuable if you are not physically active, are obese, or have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke.
So see your doctor, chose activities that you like, start exercising and get healthier!