How Changing Your Mindset Can Help You Sustainably Lower Your Blood Pressure After 40
As you age, a combination of hormonal changes, such as reduced growth hormone levels and the accumulation of stress that comes from work and family life, will lead to weight gain due to the accumulation of body fat. This is usually a gradual process that begins in your thirties and becomes more obvious in your forties. Unless you recognize these changes early, change your mindset, and take sustainable healthy steps, you will continue to gain weight and fight to lower your blood pressure. Here are 3 tips on how changing the way you think can help you lower your blood pressure in a sustainable way after 40.
The first mindset change you need is to focus on long-term lifestyle changes rather than looking for quick, short-term fixes. Remember that slow and steady wins the race. You need to stop chasing after the latest diet, the latest “pill” that will magically burn fat, reduce your weight, and help lower your blood pressure. Research has shown that 60-90% of people who start a new exercise regimen quit within 6 months. Unless you change your mind, you will end up in this group.
The second mindset change you need is to look inward. Instead of looking outside, look inward and try to gain a deeper understanding of yourself to find out which set of physical activities and exercises will best suit your personality, sense of self, and energy level. It could be running with friends, walking, swimming, tennis, or golf. Once you figure out what type of exercise works best for your schedule, budget, and personality, stick with it. You must be on an exercise regimen for some time before you get all the health benefits associated with it. A mindset that makes you switch from one exercise to another repeatedly will lead to failure. You will end up not getting the results you want in terms of reduced blood pressure.
The third mindset change you need to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle is persistence. Stick to your chosen plan. Don’t be easily put off by poor initial results, such as slow weight loss or inconsistencies at bedtime. Sleeping on time and having a sound sleep will help you lower your blood pressure by helping you get a good night’s rest and less hormonal fluctuations.
You should also remember that your negative health changes occurred gradually due to bad habits such as insufficient sleep, eating junk food, inconsistent exercise, and poor stress management over a period of time. To overcome these changes in a sustainable way, you need to persevere. You must give up the mindset that seeks solutions overnight.