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1. Try yoga: yoga is a great way to reduce stress, which contributes to high blood pressure. But there are some poses in particular recommended for those wanting to level out their blood pressure. These include:

* forward bends like virasana and upavista konasana, which are both sitting postures
* horizontal asanas which allow the heart beat to slow down when they are practised slowly and rhythmically
* asanas like uttanasana and adhomukha savasana

2. Regular exercise: It doesn't have to be yoga. Any regular exercise like walking, biking or gardening is great for lowering blood pressure. Your physician will be able to give you an exercise plan that suits your heart condition and physical fitness levels. It's important not to overdo it too quickly. tai chi is actually an excellent way to reduce blood pressure. Like yoga, it is relaxing, rhythmical, a stress reducer, and has great benefit on the nervous and parasympathetic systems within the body.

Having a regular exercise program may even reduce your need for blood pressure medication.

3. Eat more bananas! Bananas are high in potassium, which is great for reducing high blood pressure. Other dietary improvements include eating more fruit and vegetables generally. Studies have found 8 servings of fruit and vegetables daily to be preferable, with these having a particular benefit for cardiovascular health:

* Lettuce
* spinach
* cauliflower
* cabbage
* broccoli
* swiss chard
* citrus fruits

And when these changes are combined with exercise, there are more significant improvements in blood pressure.

4. Make sure you get your folic acid: A study by the Harvard Medical school looked at the benefits of folic acid on blood pressure, and found it to be highly beneficial, particularly amongst younger women. It seemed to have a protective effect against high blood pressure. Younger women who took at least 1mg of folic acid a day lowered their risk of hypertension by 46%. Older women who had reasonable amounts of folic acid daily lowered their risk by 18%. The study was conducted on 156,000 nurses, 19,720 of whom had high blood pressure.

5. Blessed chocolate: Dark chocolate, and foods and supplements that had high levels of cocoa including chocolate confectionary, cocoa sandwich filling and drinks, have been found to be associated with a lower blood pressure and reduced risk of dying from any cause in a small study conducted on 470 elderly men (they were on average 72 7ears old). The study followed them for 15 years, and those that ate more than 2.3 grams of cocoa a day had lower blood pressure than those that didn't. Researchers believe it is the flavanol component of cocoa that provides this beneficial effect.

Before thinking this is a green light to eat lots of chocolate, you'll need about 100 grams of dark chocolate a day to get the blood pressure benefits. That equates to an extra 500 calories per 100 grams, with an average fat content of 30%. Raw cocoa is not well taken by people when it is eaten in large amounts. The calorie and fat considerations need to be taken into account, although there are some chocolate bars out there that have a higher flavanol content.

For high blood pressure herbs, check this article. For other articles on blood pressure, click here. Submit health articles here.

With all the new advances in nutrition and exercise research it seems to be a contradiction that obesity and over weight is on the rise in North America. It's pretty clear that we know more now than we ever did about how to eat properly and how to exercise for weight loss and overall health. Research in nutrition and exercise shown us exactly what we need to do to lose weight, get into great shape, and stay that way? If science has progressed in these fields of research, why hasn't it resulted in a more fit, healthy, and slimmer population?

The truth is that the opposite is happening to the population. The percentage of overweight, obese and unhealthy adults is rising right along side our scientific knowledge of how to fight it. What is even more alarming is the rise in the percentage of overweight and obese children. We are teaching our children our bad habits.

This is sending a pretty clear message to me. The information we get from scientific research is not reaching the general population. Or more accurately, the message isn't being supported enough by government and industry in our daily routines.

For example: Science would dictate that you should eat modest portions of whole foods, with plenty of fruits and vegetables as a staple of a healthy diet. The reality is that most of us can find half a dozen fast food restaurants within 5 minutes of our houses that are offering us the exact opposite of what we know we should be eating. Even more troubling is the fact that if everyone actually tried to eat the daily recommend amount of fruits and veggies there wouldnt be enough to go around. Author and acclaimed nutrition researcher Marion Nestle points out in her book What to Eat that the north American food supply of fruits and veggies doesnt even add up to the daily recommend amount for each person. The food industry will only produce the food they know they can sell. And we as a population just dont buy that much produce.

The repeated and relentless marketing messages to eat more we receive on a daily basis can overpower most of our better intentions when it comes to making food decisions.

The one message you will never hear from the food industry is eat less. However almost all diet studies that show any significant amount of weight loss have one thing in common: the people in the study consumed less calories.

This is the paradox. Science tells us to lose weight we need to eat less. But the food industry which surrounds us every day is telling us to eat more. And the voice of the food industry is much louder than the voice of science. Just think of how many fast food restaurants, convenience stores, radio and tv commercials, flyers, coupons and other food ads you are exposed to in a day. Then think of how many daily messages you get reminding you to eat a sensible diet with moderate portions and whole foods.

Its not a fair fight, and I dont have to tell you which side usually wins in the battle for your attention. Look no further than the rising obesity, overweight, diabetes and heart disease rates and you have your answer.

Food manufacturers and restaurants know how to push your buttons and entice you to purchase their products, and lots of them too, this is unlikely to change any time soon. It will always be your personal challenge and responsibility to choose to eat less in a society that will forever continue to tell you to eat more.

John Barban is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a varsity strength and conditioning coach. His trademarked http://www.6minuteCircuits.com Circuit Training Workouts is designed to get a full body cardio and muscle toning workout in the comfort of your own home. John is a senior contributor at http://www.grrlathlete.com where you can sign up to get insider information in the nutrition and fitness industry. You can ask John a question on the http://www.grrlathlete.freeforums.org dedicated to support women with their fitness and nutrition goals.