Take the 120/Life Challenge

Did you know that May is National Blood Pressure Month? Well, now you do! At 120/Life, we feel passionate about helping our customers bring their blood pressure into a healthy range. If your blood pressure is currently higher than you would like, why not celebrate National Blood Pressure Month by taking the 120/Life Challenge? With a two-week commitment, you can use lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure to healthy levels. 

What is high blood pressure?

When your heart pumps blood around your body, it’s working against the resistance of your arterial walls. It’s normal for blood pressure to rise and fall throughout the day, but when it remains high for a long time, you need to consider whether you have hypertension.

What Are Normal Blood Pressure Ranges?

We measure blood pressure using an upper figure, systolic and a lower figure, diastolic. The various blood pressure ranges you can experience look like this:

Low Blood Pressure: 

• 90/60 mmHg or lower

Normal Blood Pressure: 

• 90/60 mmHg to 120/80 mmHg

Elevated blood pressure: 

• 120/80 mmHg to 130/80 mmHg

High blood pressure (Stage 1): 

• 130/80 mmHg to 140/90 mmHg

High blood pressure (Stage 2): 

• 140/90 mmHg and over

It isn’t often that you experience the symptoms of high blood pressure. Rather than guessing whether you suffer from it or not, you should take a reading using an electronic blood pressure cuff. If it does fall into the hypertension range, contact your physician.

What does the 120/Life Challenge involve?

The 120/Life Challenge involves drinking one bottle of 120/Life each morning in an attempt to lower your blood pressure. Your challenge will last for two weeks, at which point you should be able to see the results for yourself.

Of course, you may be wondering how a drink can lower your blood pressure. In a world where hypertension is treated with medications as standard, it’s normal to query alternative approaches. To understand how it works, you need to explore our ingredients.

Beetroot

Beetroot is high in nitrate, which then converts to nitrite and allows the body’s natural vasodilator Nitric Oxide to become more active. Nitric Oxide relaxes your blood vessel walls, so your heart doesn’t need as much pressure to pump.

Pomegranate

Pomegranates aren’t just tasty; they inhibit angiotensin too! Angiotensin instigates a chain of events that causes your kidneys to retain salt. As a result, you have more fluid for pumping around. Additionally, angiotensin stiffens your blood vessel walls slightly. By reducing its presence, you lower your blood pressure. This is the same mechanism of action used by a class of pharmaceutical drugs called ACE inhibitors.

Cranberry

Cranberries can reduce the presence of an inflammatory protein called c-reactive protein. This is one of the markers of cardiac muscle inflammation, so reducing it may come with cardio-protection benefits.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus is also a natural ACE inhibitor, but it also acts as a potassium-sparing diuretic. Potassium-sparing diuretics are often first-line treatments for high blood pressure. By using substances that spare potassium, you can avoid conditions such as hypokalemia that could make you feel unwell.

Tart cherry

As tart cherries are high in phenolic compounds, they act as potent anti-oxidants and tackle inflammation. They also disrupt some of the mechanisms that allow angiotensin to work.

Magnesium

As a smooth muscle relaxer, magnesium can reduce the tension in your arterial walls, which then means your heart doesn’t pump as hard to maintain pressure.

What should I do when the challenge ends?

When the challenge is over, you can continue with lifestyle changes that maintain healthy blood pressure. This could include staying fit, eating a healthy diet, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and drinking an ice-cold bottle of 120/Life every morning.

If you want to learn more about using the 120/Life Challenge to lower your blood pressure this May, contact us or place an order here.