14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Well, here we are at Day 14 — and congratulations! You've made it through the Younger Longer Blood Pressure Challenge. I really appreciate you for tuning in, and more importantly, for making the effort to look after yourself. So, good on you!

Let’s wrap it all up. Let’s step back and think about some of the incredible things we’ve learned over these 14 days.

Remember, your heart beats about 100,000 times a day, 700,000 times a week, and over the course of a lifetime, somewhere between 2.5 and 3 billion times. That’s why every beat matters — especially when it comes to blood pressure.

If your heart is working just a little bit too hard, that stress is repeated again and again every day. Over time, that excess pressure damages the delicate linings of your arteries. It puts you at increased risk of stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, dementia, and it places strain on your heart, increasing the risk of cardiac failure and atrial fibrillation.

That’s why even small improvements in blood pressure are so powerful. Just a few millimetres here and there add up over a lifetime and can make a massive difference.

So please — don’t be complacent about your blood pressure. Managing it is a lifelong commitment. It doesn’t have to be perfect overnight, but it does need attention. Small steps, regularly checking in — because if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it.

Now let’s review the 10 Commandments of Blood Pressure Control that you've learned over the past 14 days:

1. Know your numbers.

2. Measure accurately.

3. Move more.

4. Eat real food.

5. Sleep well.

6. Manage stress.

7. Alcohol and caffeine.

8. Watch for hidden sugars and salts.

9. Work with your doctor.

10. Think long term.

Since you've come this far, I’d love to give you a bonus — an interactive eBook version of my book, The 10 Commandments of Heart Health Explained. You’ll find a link to that in the resources section.

As you probably know by now, blood pressure doesn’t stand alone. It’s one part of your broader heart health, and that’s why I’ve compiled these 10 Commandments of Heart Health for you to enjoy and benefit from.

So once again, thank you for joining me on this journey. I truly hope that, through this Younger Longer campaign, you’re empowered to live as well as possible, for as long as possible.

Take care, and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Hi and welcome to Day 13 — and today is a really important one.

We often talk about blood pressure being a silent killer. It can lead to serious conditions like stroke, heart attack, cardiac failure, atrial fibrillation, renal (kidney) failure, and even dementia.

But can we tell if any damage has already been done?

Well, it turns out that we can. One way to assess this is through a test called a Coronary Artery Calcium Score — also known as a CAC.

A CAC scan measures the amount of calcium built up in the heart arteries. It’s a direct marker of atherosclerosis — or, in simpler terms, plaque buildup in the arteries. This scan is one of the most accurate predictors of future heart attacks and, in many cases, it outperforms traditional risk assessments.

So instead of guessing your heart attack risk based on cholesterol or blood pressure alone, a CAC scan gives us a much clearer picture.

If your score is zero, your risk of a heart attack over the next five years is remarkably low. But if the score is elevated, it helps guide our decisions about how aggressive we need to be with treatments — whether it’s managing cholesterol, blood pressure, or other cardiovascular risk factors.

To help make this accessible, I created the Virtual Heart Check platform. You can go online, answer a few questions, and book a Coronary Artery Calcium Score — all without needing to see a GP or specialist. It saves both time and money and works in every major centre across Australia.

I highly recommend getting a CAC scan. It breaks down barriers and makes this important test more readily available.

If you're unsure, have a conversation with your doctor about getting a coronary artery calcium score.

In my opinion, just about every man aged 45 to 50 and above should be getting this scan — and every woman aged 55 to 60 should as well. I see it as a rite of passage in your health journey. If you have family history or other significant risk factors, it’s worth considering getting the scan even earlier.

So, check it out, and take action.

Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about the final wrap-up for this 14-day challenge. Just remember — your heart beats 35 million times a year, so we really do want to look after it.

I look forward to speaking with you again tomorrow.

Until then, I hope you live as well as possible, for as long as possible.

Take care and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

G'day and welcome to Day 12 of the challenge. We're nearly finished!

Today we're talking about a very important component of blood pressure control — and that's weight and waist circumference.

Now, if you're a little bit overweight and find this topic a bit edgy, please know I’m not having a go. But it is super important. If you're slim and have no extra weight or waist circumference concerns, you can simply listen and learn. Either way, this is a topic that matters for everyone.

I spend a fair bit of time with my patients — particularly middle-aged blokes who tend to carry weight around the middle — discussing this crucial issue, especially when their blood pressure is starting to creep up.

That’s because every kilogram of body weight does add to your blood pressure. More importantly, extra weight is often associated with visceral fat — the fat that surrounds your organs. This isn’t the healthy kind of fat. Visceral fat is metabolically active, causes inflammation, disrupts hormones, and is known to significantly impact blood pressure.

The really encouraging news? You don’t have to lose massive amounts of weight to see a real improvement in blood pressure.

There’s a great rule of thumb: for every one kilogram of weight lost, you can expect approximately one millimeter of systolic blood pressure reduction. So, if you're carrying an extra five to ten kilograms, losing that weight could lower your systolic blood pressure by five to ten millimeters. That’s equivalent to the effect of many prescription medications!

Now, if you combine weight loss with good sleep, regular exercise, and managing your stress, then you’re really hitting home runs — not just for your blood pressure, but for your overall cardiovascular risk, stroke risk, and your quality of life.

As the weight comes off, your waist circumference will also tighten — and that tells us that visceral fat is reducing too.

So, what's the key message here?

Every kilogram matters. Every centimetre around the waist matters. Carrying too much fat isn’t just bad for blood pressure — it’s simply not good for you, full stop.

See if you can find ways to make a difference. The good news is, if you're feeling stuck, there are now effective medications that can make a meaningful impact in the long term.

Tomorrow, I'm going to be talking about how we can assess the risk of high blood pressure acting as a silent killer — before it causes any harm.

So, tune in for that. Until tomorrow, I hope you live as well as possible, for as long as possible.

Take care and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Welcome, and here we are at Day 11. Well done for getting this far, and thanks for tuning in.

We're talking sugars and processed foods today—specifically, the traps that can catch us out in that regard, particularly when it comes to our blood pressure.

Often, we only think about salt when it comes to blood pressure. And while there's no question that salt is important—we’ve already covered it—sugars are equally important and often sneak into processed foods left, right, and center.

So many processed foods are double-loaded with sugar and salt, and that double hit is not good for your blood pressure. We’ve already touched on the salt component, but sugars play a significant role too. They can contribute to weight gain because they stimulate insulin. Over time, with repeated exposure, this can lead to insulin resistance. That’s when the body just doesn’t process sugar as efficiently.

The problem with that? It pushes up your blood pressure and alters your cholesterol profile. That’s not good in the long term.

And it’s not just the obviously sweet foods you have to be wary of. Added sugars are often hidden in things like sauces, breakfast cereals, flavored yoghurt, smoothies, energy bars, and salad dressings. Imagine trying to have a healthy salad, only to drizzle on a manufactured dressing filled with sugar!

So what’s the advice?

Be aware. Read the labels. It really is valuable and informative—you might be surprised.

Check the ingredients list and look out for terms like syrup, malt, cane juice, and anything ending in “-ose” (like dextrose, sucrose, glucose). These are all forms of sugar. You’ll also often see salt listed—so bring your attention to that as well.

Try to replace processed and manufactured foods with things you can make from your own cupboard or pantry. Making that switch can make a big difference over the long term.

Tomorrow, I’m going to be talking about weight—a consequence of too much sugar, too much fat, too much oil, and too many processed foods—and how weight interacts with blood pressure.

So I look forward to speaking with you then. Until then, I hope you live as well as possible, for as long as possible.

Take care, and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

G'day and welcome back to Day 10. Today, we're talking about alcohol, caffeine, and water.

Let’s start with alcohol. You probably don't want to hear this if you enjoy a couple of glasses at night, but unfortunately, there is no amount of alcohol that is considered good for you. In fact, even relatively small amounts — just a couple of standard drinks a day — can start to increase your blood pressure.

It’s also possible that alcohol could affect some of your medications, so be aware of that. It’s probably a good idea to have alcohol-free days here and there. There is no truly safe amount of alcohol, so just be mindful of your intake. If alcohol is an important component of your lifestyle, respect it by consuming it wisely.

Now, let’s move on to caffeine. Personally, caffeine is my go-to in the morning, and I know I'm not alone — millions of people feel the same way. However, if blood pressure is a concern for you, it’s worth considering whether you’re someone who is more sensitive to the effects of caffeine.

You might want to reassess your consumption and perhaps mix things up a little — maybe by switching to decaffeinated coffee occasionally. This could help reduce those caffeine-related spikes in blood pressure. You probably don’t have to give up coffee altogether. It’s more about knowing your body and managing your intake appropriately.

One of my own strategies is to combine an espresso shot with a decaf, making a long black. That way, I get a strong flavor without the heavy hit of caffeine.

Tomorrow, I’ll be talking about sugar and the sugar traps we often fall into. But before we get into that, I want to emphasize something important while we are on the topic of drinking wisely — and that’s hydration.

Water, and good quality water, is incredibly important. Staying hydrated will take care of your kidneys in the long run and help regulate your blood pressure. It allows your body to flush out sodium chloride and helps your kidneys remove toxins effectively.

So, while it’s important to be cautious with your alcohol and caffeine consumption, please also make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and staying well-hydrated.

Tomorrow, we’ll dive into sugar. Until then, I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible.

Take care, and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Welcome back and it's day nine and we're talking blood pressure medications and I really want to touch on this because occasionally I get people who are quite dismayed or frustrated or upset if they have to take a medication. 

Well let's be absolutely clear blood pressure medication saves lives. The evidence is overwhelming. They reduce risk of stroke, they reduce risk of heart attack, they reduce risk of cardiac failure, atrial fibrillation, kidney disease and dementia. And the modern medicines that we use are very very well tolerated. They've been around for a long long time so they really do do their job without impacting on people's quality of life. And the nice thing is if for some reason one tablet doesn't suit you, we actually have a range available. 

So don't be disappointed if you need a medication. And remember, if you've been prescribed a medication for blood pressure, these tablets work on a 24 hour cycle pretty well. So consistency is important. If you do miss your medication, your blood pressure will creep up. And that's not what you want. 

As I said, I really don't want people to think that it's a failure if you need medication. It's better to actually blame your parents because a large component of your blood pressure is driven by genetics. Well, I'm talking about people who are really doing everything else right, like their diet, exercise, good sleep and so on. Of course, if you're not looking after those lifestyle things, then you need to tidy those up and reevaluate where your blood pressure really is. 

It is super smart to be taking the medications as required. And it's super important to have it closely monitored to speak. So speak with your doctor about that. We touch on 24 hour blood pressure monitoring before and after initiation or change in dosing of therapy is a really good habit. And the really nice news, lifestyle changes, things like exercise, diet, improving stress and sleep work really, really well. Not just additive, but almost multiplicative with medication. 

So take advantage of it and put the odds in your favor. Tomorrow, I really look forward to talking about two of my favorite drugs, coffee and alcohol. I look forward to joining me. For now, I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Hi and welcome back to day eight and we're in the second half of the challenge. Well done for getting this far. 

Today we're diving into two different players in the blood pressure space, poor sleep and stress. Well you've probably thought of stress but sleep is really really important. I'm not sure if you're aware but just one bad night's sleep can nudge your blood pressure up the next day. It's mainly because if we don't sleep well our body pumps out more cholesterol. That is a stress hormone and cholesterol will push up your blood pressure higher. This is really important particularly over time because if you're consistently not sleeping well your blood pressure will go up and then your blood vessels will start to stiffen up from the damaged caused by that. 

Well it's the same story with chronic stress. Chronic stress will push up your cortisol. Also the adrenaline fight and flight type hormones as well and if your body is constantly thinking it's about to be eaten by a saber-toothed tiger then your heart rate and your blood pressure will be up as you might imagine. Long term this stress without good recovery keeps your blood pressure elevated and will start to damage your arteries and your heart at a microscopic level. 

But the good news is that restful sleep really does give your heart and blood vessels a chance to repair overnight and we see particularly when we put on 24-hour blood pressure monitors that people's blood pressure dips significantly overnight to allow that body to rejuvenate and heal. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, short meditation, outdoor walks and even a few minutes of stillness and mindfulness can all help in a positive way. Small changes like setting a constant bedtime, limiting screen time at night, good bedtime or sleep hygiene they call it can make a big difference. 

So sleep well, stress less and look after your heart and blood vessels and they'll look after you in the future. Tomorrow I look forward to talking with you about the medications and the impact they can have in giving you the best long-term health span and quality of life. Take care. I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Hi Dr Warrick here and welcome to day 7. Today we're talking about salt, specifically sodium chloride salt which drives high blood pressure therefore causing problems. 

The problem is if we do consume too much salt then that salt means that the body retains more water increasing blood volume therefore raising blood pressure. As we increase the pressure the heart has to work harder and that is wear and tear on the heart but it's also wear and tear on the vasculature and we've talked about that to a large degree already. 

That damage to the vasculature leads to plaque formation and even inflammation and heart attack and stroke. Interestingly though excessive salt doesn't just affect the blood vessels directly it also affects the blood vessels via the gut and here's something you may not be aware of that increased salt could actually disrupt the gut microbiome particularly beneficial bacteria like the lactobacillus species. 

This disruption to the gut microbiome then exposes the lining of the gut to the contents of the gastrointestinal tract the inside of your gullet and that exposure of the lining cells of the gut gut directly directly to the contents of the gut can lead to what's called leaky gut syndrome. That means that inflammatory molecules within the gut can pass between connectors of the cells lining the intestine and those molecules can get into the bloodstream. 

As those molecules get into the bloodstream they can be shipped around the body but can end up in blood vessels of their own leading to inflammation within those blood vessels. The consequence being thickened blood vessels, narrowed blood vessels and you guessed it contributing to raised blood pressure. So when we think about salt as a problem people will say but I don't do much salt on my food and truth be told it's not the salt in your salt shaker that we're concerned about. 

It turns out that about 75% of consumed sodium in most people's diets comes from processed foods and this includes things that you may not even be aware of. Things like bread, packaged snacks, canned items, even takeaway meals. So pay attention, look at labels, be aware. We know that reducing sodium by about three grams a day or half a teaspoon can reduce your systolic blood pressure by up to five millimeters of mercury. This is really significant and on a population basis is a huge thing to be considering. So look for low sodium or no added salt. 

Even think about sodium chloride replacement salts that perhaps have potassium in there instead or use other flavorings, coriander, turmeric, chili, all of those. Try and just start to cut down where that salt is. Remember it can disrupt the gut microbiome and it's a big driver and one that we should be able to change in our lifestyle on a daily basis. 

Tomorrow we talk about sleep and stress, super important when it comes to blood pressure and I'll look forward to speaking with you then. I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Hi and welcome back. Today we're talking about movement. It's not a lifestyle choice. This is a true physiological intervention. Exercise is a magic bullet when it comes to heart health and in fact general health can lower your blood pressure, improve heart function and literally change the way your arteries behave. Just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a day can lower your systolic blood pressure by four to nine millimeters of mercury and that's pretty comparable to our modern blood pressure tablets. 

Now it's complex the way that exercise works but we do know that it probably has multiple ways of working from improving the elasticity of the blood vessels to lowering resting heart rate and reducing the resistance within the arteries out in the tissues. It literally makes it easier for your heart to push blood around the body during the times that you're resting and relaxing. Turns out that strength training is also pretty important. That improves vascular function, metabolic health and helps preserve lean muscle mass. 

This is a really important term so lock that one away, lean muscle mass. You don't want to lose that as you're getting older. And we know that resistance exercise or strength training is a great way to do that. Don't overlook balance and flexibility. These are important particularly for functional capacity but think of exercise as just a wonderful way to bring multiple positives to your best health journey. Even things like improving sleep and enhancing mood and reducing stress hormones. 

And for those who watch what they eat and exercise it can help with weight management as well. So what do we want to do? We want to find a way for exercise to be a regular part of your daily activities. Whether it's walking, cycling, swimming, whatever it is you've got to enjoy it otherwise you won't do it. But we do know if you can do it regularly it'll make a huge difference to your health in the long term. So think of movement as your medicine on a daily basis. Every step, every stretch, every lift, they're going to be helpful. 

So figure out a way to make that work. If you've got this far through the blood pressure challenge you're probably someone who can discipline yourself enough to get some exercise regularly. Tomorrow we're talking about salt, so I look forward to joining you there. Until then I hope you live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care and bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Welcome to the Younger Longer 14-Day Blood Pressure Challenge. My name is Dr. Warrick Bishop. I'm a preventative cardiologist and I'm super excited that you're looking to look after your blood pressure. It is one of the most important and really one of the simplest things you can look after to look after your heart for the rest of your life.

During this 14-Day Challenge I'm going to share with you a whole lot of stuff. Every day, a video, some resources, a challenge or a task for you to complete and a fun fact. Stay tuned, your blood pressure is super important. Let me explain to you how, what you're going to do about it and how you're going to look after yourself for the years ahead 

Transcript

Hi, Dr. Warrick here and welcome to day five. Today we're talking food, not calories or taste, but the impact food can have on your blood pressure. And unbelievably, what you put on your plate, what you put therefore in your mouth, can in fact impact your blood pressure and therefore your cardiovascular system. 

Let's start with potassium. Most people consume too much sodium chloride or salt and not enough potassium. And potassium is a key mineral that helps your body, your kidneys, excrete excess sodium and so lower blood pressure. Foods like bananas, leafy greens, legumes and sweet potatoes. Even salmon are all rich in potassium. And these foods can be helpful in moderating blood pressure. 

Let's talk about fibre next. And there's more to this than just digestion because fibre slows absorption of different foods, particularly sugar. And this is good because it reduces insulin response and reduces potential weight gain. 

But fibre also protects the integrity of the gut lining and reduces leaky gut syndrome. And this is really important because leaky gut syndrome allows inflammatory molecules from within the gut to get into the bloodstream, which can then lodge within the arteries causing inflammation and driving blood pressure changes. So fibre to protect the gut, really, really important. 

Let's talk colour. And you probably, if you're listening to this, are aware already that the pigments, the colours, the antioxidants, the anthocyanes, the lycopene, etc. are powerful antioxidants that help with blood pressure control and reduce inflammation. So we often use the term, eat the rainbow, which is sort of visually appealing on the plate, but good for your heart and your blood pressure. 

Not sure if you're aware of it or heard of it, but there is a diet called the DASH, D-A-S-H diet, short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. And this has been shown to lower blood pressure as effectively as low dose medication for many people. And it's built almost entirely on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and lean proteins. Not supplements, not processed foods, but real food. 

So what's on your plate has a direct connection to your arteries and your blood pressure and your heart health. So think about it. And tomorrow we'll talk about the sort of importance of exercising in maintaining a healthy blood pressure till then. I wish you the very best. Live as well as possible for as long as possible. Take care and bye for now. Thank you.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

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