National High Blood Pressure Education Month & GNC $100 Giveaway

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May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month. I’m sure that high blood pressure is an issue that affects many of us in some way or another—either we ourselves have high blood pressure or a loved one does. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

I thoroughly remember a doctor’s visit a few years ago where my doctor told me how concerned she was with my blood pressure. This was the first time I was informed that I had high blood pressure and this hit me pretty hard. I was scared. I was angry with myself for not making healthier eating choices and not exercising at all. For letting it go that far. I could see what my poor choices were doing to my body. And knowing this was one of the biggest reasons why I started on this journey to become a healthier and more active person.

High Blood Pressure should be taken seriously. It is not something to be ignored. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, “‘Blood pressure’ is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.” It was my doctor’s mention of the word “stroke” that really woke me up. I was 22 years old and having a stroke shouldn’t be a concern of anyone that young.

“High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease (also called coronary artery disease), heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems.”

This year’s theme for National High Blood Pressure Education Month is, “If Your Blood Pressure Is Not Lower Than 140/90, Ask Your Doctor Why.” I urge you to do this.

If you have healthy blood pressure and want to keep it that way, or currently have high blood pressure and want to know how to get it under control—the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has a lot of great tips.

One of the most important parts of taking care of your heart is having a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise. GNC offers many products to aid you in your healthy lifestyle. Whether it’s getting your daily multivitamin, Fish oils or Omegas, supplements specific to heart and circulatory health, or obtaining the equipment or tools needed for exercise, GNC can help you get closer to your health/nutrition and exercise goals.

And what better way to get started than to win a $100 gift card to GNC stores! I am cooperating with GNC to provide this awesome giveaway.

MANDATORY ENTRIES:

1. Become a fan of GNC Live Well on Facebook.
2. Follow @GNCLiveWell on Twitter.
3. Follow @JeffHennion on Twitter- he takes care of all of the GNC branding

The mandatory entries will count as 3 entries- please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you do not do all 3, you will not qualify to win.
BONUS ENTRIES:

1. Be a follower of this blog on Google Friend Connect.
2. Friend me on Facebook.
3. Follow me on Twitter- @AJourneyToThin.
4. Tweet about this post (and link to it) and mention @AJourneyToThin, @GNCLiveWell & @JeffHennion.
5. Mention this giveaway on Facebook (and link to it) and tag me and GNC Live Well.
6. Mention this giveaway in a blog post and link back to this post.
7. Tell me what you do to maintain healthy blood pressure.
8. Tell me what you would use the $100 GNC gift card for.

That’s 11 possible entries into this AWESOME giveaway!! You can Tweet, Facebook, or blog about this giveaway each day to an additional entry- just make sure to come back and leave a comment!
Giveaway will end on Monday May 30th and the winner will be chosen via random.org. This giveaway is open to those in the US and Canada.
Good luck!!