Healthy lifestyle habits to improve blood pressure control

About three-quarters of the salt that Australians eat every day comes from processed foods rather than from salt added during cooking or at the table! Opt for less processed food and always read the label while buying to check sodium content in different brands of the same variety of food.

Strict salt control can reduce systolic blood pressure by 4-5 mmHg. Avoid top up of table salts to your food.

Smoking cessation markedly reduces overall cardiovascular risk, including the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke, compared with continued smoking.

One can reduce systolic blood pressure by 4–9 mmHg by increasing their levels of physical activity.

Try to set a goal for ideal body weight with the waist circumference < 94 cm (men) or l < 80 cm (women) and body mass index (BMI) less than 25 kg/m2.

The Heart Foundation recommends that patients with hypertension limit their alcohol intake to a maximum of 2 standard drinks per day for men, and 1 standard drink per day for women. Try to have at least two alcohol-free days per week.