I've been checking my blood pressure at the store and it's running about 140/85. A couple years ago it was more like 122/79.
I got divorced this last year, and put on 25 lbs (I wasn't a lightweight in the first place). For the last year I have had a lot of stress and have let myself go in some ways.
I bike ride a fair amount - two 46 mile rides in the past week, and I'm training for a century in early June. I started indoors back in January. I feel like I'm a strong cyclist and once I drop the extra weight I will be doing great. I am recovering very well from the long rides and I keep a good speed on the bike.
I made an appointment for a full physical two weeks from now. I had one last year and my triglycerides were high. They are probably about the same now. My dad has had heart problems (but no heart attack) since he was in his late 50s, and I'm about to turn
40 so I want to head this off.
My two big problems seem to be stress and weight. I have two non-driving teenages and one or the other needs driving somewhere most nights, I just got divorced in March (on relatively friendly terms) and I have a wonderful girlfriend who is the reason I made the doctors appointment. I feel like I always have to be somewhere else (and step on it!), so I am in the car a lot more than I would like.
SO - what do the doctors do about blood pressure? I am leery of any kind of medicine because of side effects, but my girlfriend (who has a lot of experience with health maintenance) says it will give me more energy to have my blood pressure reduced, and with more energy I will be better equipped to deal with stress and losing the "divorce weight". Has anybody else dealt with this and how did it turn out for you?
