I’m Fit. So Why Do I Have High Blood Pressure?
Nearly half of Americans are dancing with this ‘silent killer’
I woke feeling slightly dizzy two weeks ago. It threw me off balance and caused a herky-jerky feel when I turned my head side-to-side. The next day, the symptoms persisting and no obvious causes in mind, I went to an urgent care center, where I learned my blood pressure was a whopping 160/92.
Those of you who follow me might be thinking this guy is a walking science experiment. It’s starting to seem that way. Examples:
- Journaled the time I eliminated almost everything from my diet to figure out what was causing gastrointestinal issues.
- Made fitness challenges public, like mountain biking 60 miles on my 60th birthday.
- Wrote how yoga has ended decades of chronic pain and how embracing mindfulness meditation chilled me out.
Given my focus on health and well-being, the irony of extremely high blood pressure — an unintended experiment, I assure you! — kinda makes my blood boil.
But high blood pressure is shockingly common. As I’ve written before — yes, more irony — 46% of Americans are in this heart-unhealthy red zone, putting us at significantly higher risk of early heart attack, stroke, dementia, and a slew of…
