Panasonic Blood Pressure Monitors

I know this is a bit self serving but we're really pleased to be adding a range of Panasonic blood pressure monitors to the site. Panasonic are one of the originators of home blood pressure monitors - they actually invented the first wrist monitors, so we think they've earned their place. They also have 3 year warranties, which we really like.

Excuse me, may I have some motivation please?

If you look at your muscles as the engine of a car, then the more muscle mass you have then the bigger the engine size. Regular exercise will gradually increase the efficiency of your engine. Mostly though, it is important to challenge your body by increasing and varying your exercise intensity. Sometimes walk for less time but quicker for instance. This will get your heart rate up so you will get a "training effect" from your exercise earlier in your walk/jog. Also try walking at different times to encourage your body to maintain energy throughout the day. My favourite is to simply do things more "hastily" Put a little zip into your daily routine, but remember to pace yourself - don't try and do too much too soon. The problem with all of this though is the big one: Motivation It is very difficult to keep up the motivation when you don't see any immediate benefits from your efforts. Our bodies are lazy, that's one of the reasons why we put on weight when our calorific intake exceeds our expenditure, and it takes a little while to persuade them to start giving up fat - or for it to actually show. Heart rate monitors are excellent for motivating us to combat weight gain and it's inherent complications just by showing us we're doing good. You don't have to set yourself marathon targets, a simple "more is better" approach to exercise is a great way to start. Plus you will find you actually feel better pretty quickly, and that is what will motivate you. You may end up surprising yourself how well you can do. From Paul Dev

Love to Hate (Exercise)

Honda had a great advertising campaign a few years ago - "Love to Hate" Lets all get together and hate smelly diesel engines.

Well I have high cholesterol, and have to watch my blood pressure, I get regular headaches, have no energy, suffer from depression, I am over weight, nearly 50, and never exercise. I hate vegetables, and love chips. Oh, and I've just given up smoking - which I loved even though it was disgusting and foul and I stank and felt (happily) terrible.

So I bought a step counter. I hate my step counter. It measures how much exercise I do with a target of 21 "exercise units" a week. An exercise unit seems to be about 15 - 20 minutes walking or activity.

The thing is - I have set my sites, in my mind's eye, on looking like a 49 and a half year old Clint Eastwood by the summer, so I have a good stone or more to lose and a lot of effort to put in on the physique, but watching fat camp the other day on TV I realised that its going to have to hurt a bit, I'm going to have to feel the burn, make some effort. There seems to be definite pain, or at least mild discomfort, involved if I really want to make any worthwhile progress, not just towards looking completely unlike I do now, but doing what I quite urgently need to do to protect and improve my health.

So, I've just been for a walk, I walked as fast as I could, tried to jog up the steps, wore less layers so I needed to warm up a bit, (I've become a sissy too as I get older; hat, scarf, gloves, hmm looks a bit chiller out there today excuses) and whilst walking I thought about all of this.

And I forgot to take my ******* step counter.

Blood Pressure - Common Questions

I saw this on the Omron web site - very useful.

Q: What exactly is blood pressure?

The heart creates pressure in order to pump blood around the body. The level of this blood can vary depending on the heart's rate of work and the resistance in the blood vessels.

Q: What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

The trouble with high blood pressure is that usually, there are no symptoms. The best idea is to ask your doctor for a check-up, or use a personal blood pressure monitor.

Q: What are the long term risks of high blood pressure?

Without treatment, high blood pressure can lead to numerous health problems including heart attacks, circulatory problems and kidney failure. It is also one of the most common causes of strokes.

Q: What causes high blood pressure?

Many things, often linked to modern living. Among the most common are obesity, over-indulgence in alcohol, smoking, lack of exercise and the stress of modern life, although high blood pressure can also be hereditary.

Q: What can I do to lower my blood pressure?

Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit, fresh vegetables, potatoes and rice. Avoid animal fats and use less salt. Try to drink less alcohol and exercise more. If you smoke, stop. If needed, your doctor will also prescribe suitable medication.

Q: How accurate are personal blood pressure monitors, and how often should they be used?

Extremely accurate, assuming they have been correctly calibrated and clinically validated. Always check this before buying. Normally, blood pressure should be monitored twice a week.

Tooth Whitening Tip

Sometimes I feel bad because I cannot always be bothered to do my tooth whitening as I should. So, this is my handy tip - If you are trying to lighten the colour of your teeth and you don't want to fall behind in the procedure mix your Dr Georges tooth whitening compound with your toothpaste each day. Simple! it maintains the progress you have made and encourages you to do a full 2 minutes with the electric tooth brush - plus your teeth will feel really clean.

Step Counters

I have recently been diagnosed as having high cholesterol - it runs in my family, my brothers both have it and now my lifetime of eating crisps has finally caught up with me. Apart from trying to cut out some of the foods that contribute to high cholesterol I am trying to exercise more - I like walking but I talk myself out of it quite often.

I've partially got round this by buying a step counter - they used to be called pedometers but I think step counter sounds better. Mine is the Omron X and it actually identifies whether I am ambling or walking at a pace worthy of being considered exercise! It also monitors the amount of exercise I do per week against a recommended figure and counts down so I can see my progress over a four week period.

If you need to exercise more due to blood pressure or cholesterol, you are dieting, or any other reason, and find it difficult to motivate yourself a step counter can be a big help.

I do get a sense of satisfaction in knowing the distance I have walked and see it add up during the week.

The Silent Killer, High blood pressure (Hypertension).

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

A risk factor not a disease.

High blood pressure, also referred to as “hypertension” is not a disease but a risk factor for heart disease & more importantly stroke. Your circulation is a closed system & high pressure within this system damages the inner surface of blood vessels & / or weakens the blood vessel wall. Damage risks blood clots forming, weakness puts the vessel at risk of rupture, needless to say either can be catastrophic.

Why silent?

High blood pressure is called the silent killer because until you have a fatal blood clot or failed vessel wall you may not have had any symptoms. High blood pressure is therefore asymptomatic. You only know you have raised blood pressure if you have it checked.

How do I check my blood pressure?

Your G.P., practice nurse, or pharmacist will do this for you but more and more people are doing their own checks using home blood pressure monitors. Home blood pressure monitors are now affordable, accurate & easy to use.

Whether you choose a wrist monitor or an upper arm device doesn’t really matter. Upper arm monitors are the more traditional & have been more rigorously verified in trials but either could save your life. Home blood pressure monitors are also useful in helping your G.P. monitor your treatment over time if you do have established high blood pressure.

What should my blood pressure be?

Normal blood pressure is approx. 140/80. High blood pressure is approx.160/100. Mildly elevated or borderline blood pressure is somewhere in between. The top number “systolic” is the pressure within your circulation when your heart beats & “diastolic” the pressure within your circulation when your heart is filling or relaxing.

What causes high blood pressure?

High blood pressure doesn’t usually have a cause but is simply the way you were made. Some people are tall some people have high blood pressure. There is however still one or two things you can do to help lower blood pressure. Reducing salt & alcohol intake helps, keeping weight under control & exercise all reduce blood pressure. It is also vitally important if you have high blood pressure to consider your other risk factors for heart disease or stroke. These are; smoking, raised cholesterol, diabetes, family history, obesity, or lack of exercise.

Before it is too late.

If you have never had your blood pressure checked take the time in the next week or two to have it measured.

Dr. Brendan C. Kellett BSc MBBS MRCGP

Dr. Kellett is a practicing GP and a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners

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