I am a female, age 55, who has been diagnosed with high blood pressure. The purpose of this paper is to develop a realistic nutrition and exercise plan that can be initiated within the next three days and continued throughout my life as part of the effort to assist me in returning my blood pressure to normal. It should be understood here that this does not mean that medication will not be taken, but it does mean that this plan can substantially lower the existing level of blood pressure along with the medication. Further, several potential health risks can occur without adherence to a planned program, a fact that makes developing the plan so important. The American Heart Association Council on High Blood Pressure (2003) evaluates these health risks as kidney disease, vision problems, stroke, and the development of coronary heart disease.
Identification of the Targeted Problem
The problem is Stage 2 Hypertension which the American Heart Association Council on High Blood Pressure (2003) defines as a systolic blood pressure value of >160 or a diastolic blood pressure value of >100. Stage 2 Hypertension is considered a serious form of high blood pressure, which requires immediate treatment. This treatment is typically holistic involving medication, and changes in one's lifestyle such as losing weight, stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet (such as the DASH diet, which includes lowering sodium and daily servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods), and getting enough exercise, especially aerobic exercise (Moser & associates, 2008).
The Plan will be initiated following its detailed specification and consideration of barriers that may act to thwart or obstruct compliance and a recognition of methods and techniques that can be used to prevent these obstructions from derailing compliance with the plan. Three days are given for the initiation to begin. Prior to the initiation, the plan will be presented to my phys...