Running is My Medicine

When my doctor told me my blood pressure was a little high at 147/92, I was shocked. As a runner my normal blood pressure was 110/60. However, I hadn’t been a consistent runner for 15 years and I now weighed 195 pounds.

I knew I had to do something so I lost some weight and began training for my first Port City Pacer race. On July 3, 2004, at 180 lbs I competed in the Chickasaw Freedom Run. By July 2005 my weight was down to 170 lbs, however, my blood pressure was still bouncing around 142/90. Normal blood pressure is 120/80 and 140/90 is considered prehypertension. In an effort to bring my B/P down, I increased my mileage and improved my diet by eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

I discovered a new book “The Blood Pressure Cure” by Robert E. Kowalski published in May 2007. By applying the methods in his book I have an average B/P of 125/77. Here are some alternative methods I am using to lower my blood pressure.

Blood Pressure and Weight-
Being a runner makes this part easier to achieve than non runners because we can burn 500 to 600 calories by running for an hour. My goal was to loose one pound per month. My weight is now 165 with only five pounds to go. 160 pounds is a good running weight for me with a height of 5’11”. I think my ATR time will improve without the extra baggage.

Blood Pressure –Friendly Foods
The Dash Diet book is a must read if you are serious about lowering you B/P. I now eat more fruits, vegetable, whole grain breads and cereals, small amounts of lean meats, fish and poultry, and nonfat or low fat dairy foods.

Physical Activity
I started running two miles every other day gradually increasing to five miles every other day. Last year I ran 700 miles and this year I am on schedule for 1000 miles. Running is the foundation of my B/P lowering program. I bought a B/P meter so I could take my B/P several times per day. After running five miles my B/P averages 115/70. I take my B/P four times per day, arising in the morning, after my morning run, in the evening and after Resperate deep breathing. I will talk more about Resperate later.

Coping With Stress
I did not realize I had stress in my life until I begin examining my life. We can’t rid ourselves of all our stress, but we can learn to cope with it. Physical exercise is one way to deal with stress. Another is to take a couple of times per day to relax and shut out the world for just a few minutes. Deep breathing exercises and YOGA classes are a great way to slow the heart and breathing down.

Supplements
Robert Kowalski recommends these supplements in his book “The Blood Pressure Cure”.
1. Sustained-release Arginine is an amino acid that helps the body produces a gas called nitric oxide in the lining of the artery. Nitric oxide relaxes the artery, making it more elastic and flexible and thus allowing more efficient blood flow and resulting in lower blood pressure.
2. Grape seed extract – is a particularly rich source of polyphenols.
3. Tomato Extract – Lyc-O-Mato is the brand name, which is rich in antioxidants, polyphenols and lycopine.
4. Potassium – I cut back on salt and increased my Potassium intake with supplements, fruits and vegetables.

RESPeRATE to lower blood pressure – Resperate is a device that fits around your waist and ear phones to listen to music while guiding you through a 15 minute deep breathing exercise (I perform while in my home sitting in my recliner).
The following information can be found on the Resparate.com web site.

“The Proven Non-Drug Way to Lower Your Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is caused by the constriction of your blood vessels. It is as simple as that.

Your heart tries to push the same amount of blood through your veins and arteries...but when those vessels are constricted, the heart meets more resistance and the pressure in your blood vessels increases.

And that’s the problem being addressed by all those high blood pressure medications on the market.

But what if you could achieve the same result without drugs, or any side-effects? What if you could reduce that constriction, and your blood pressure, simply by controlling how you breathe?

RESPeRATE's patented technology gently relaxes constricted blood vessels to reduce your high blood pressure by guiding you through a breathing exercise that dynamically adapts to each user's individual respiration pattern.

Seven clinical studies have shown that RESPeRATE can lower high blood pressure by up to 36 points systolic and 20 points diastolic, with average reductions of 14/8 points.”

My personal experience with RESPeRATE is an average reduction of 7/4 points with each use. I use RESPeRATE in the evening before bedtime. I take by blood pressure before and after RESPeRATE deep breathing exercise. RESPeRATE is so relaxing I have to be careful not to fall asleep while performing the deep breathing exercise.

My morning runs have an average blood pressure reduction of 20/10 points with each run. Using the program I have outlined my average blood pressure has reduced from 147/92 to 125/77 in six months. My goal is to average below 120/80.

I am not advocating that anyone stop taking their blood pressure medicine. I just want to make you aware of one of the benefits of running. If you can’t run there are other forms of daily aerobic exercise that will give equal results if you maintain a heart rate of 121 to 170 beats for 20 to 30 minutes.

The Greek physician Hippocrates said it hundreds of years ago, though in more elegant terms: move it or lose it!

- Ron Mitchell, President

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