Blood Pressure PR

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First of all, for those that may not know, PR stands for personal record. PR is quite common among strength and power athletes and is generally used to motivate and inspire an athlete to break their own past records by lifting more weight. While PR is in no way related to blood pressure, jumping to a conclusion from the number of people willing to start an exercise and diet program to manage their blood pressure levels, PR seems to fit in quite easily. For this post our focus would be the abrupt increase in blood pressure i.e. Blood Pressure Personal Record (PR).


Blood Pressure varies as the heart pumps blood through the arteries and veins to each and every part of the body. With each beat, the heart pumps blood into the arteries thereby raising blood pressure and this pressure is dropped gradually as the blood passes through the veins back to the heart. Blood flow in the body is maintained through a complex system. Usually, blood pressure fluctuates not only with every beat, but also with stress levels, physical activity levels, etc. Arterioles, which are smaller blood vessels may either constrict or widen due to issues in the blood pressure controlling mechanisms thereby causing either increase or decrease of pressure in larger blood vessels. Having either low or high blood pressure may be a dangerous situation and in that case getting in touch with a qualified doctor is highly recommended. High Blood Pressure is also known as Hypertension. Some factors which may contribute to hypertension include: age, gender, obesity, sodium tolerance, alcohol intake, lifestyle, etc. It is generally believed that through dietary and exercise interventions, hypertension may be managed.


Some techniques that may help in managing hypertension are as follows:

  1. Reducing and maintaining body weight if obese or having higher body weight. 
  2. Limiting or eliminating alcohol intake.
  3. Stop Smoking.
  4. Keeping sodium/salt intake at moderate levels. 
  5. Doing regular exercise. 
  6. Including fresh fruits, vegetables and high fiber foods (whole grains, beans/lentils, etc.)
  7. Including potassium rich foods. 
Although hypertension increases the risk of stroke and heart disease, it may go undetected for years due lack of any signs or symptoms. Some people have hypertension and don't know it as they cannot detect it. It is best to get a blood pressure test done by a trained professional.

Note: The above mentioned information is for educational and awareness purposes only. It should not be taken as medical advise in any way whatsoever. If you or someone else has blood pressure issues, it is recommended to consult a qualified doctor.  Image source: pixabay

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