JustKate asked:


If I exercised for at least one hour on a treadmill a day, 7 days a week, how long before I’d notice a drop in blood pressure? Would it begin to take effect in under 6 months or no? I don’t know if I’m phrasing this correctly, but I just would basically like to find out how long it would take for my blood pressure to start dropping if I were to adopt a healthier lifestyle and exercise (because I’m fairly sedentary due to my job). Thanks. (I’m looking for expert advice or advice from people who have lowered their blood pressure or know of someone who has. My goal is to lower my blood pressure and by extension my resting heart rate.)
I’m not on medication. I used to have okay blood pressure, then through a series of traumatic events, I began eating a lot. I was severely depressed and I gained like 70 lbs. Horrible I know, but I was on medication depressed and I was practically suicidal. I’m better now and I want to work on myself, and be healthy and live a nice long life, but I don’t want to be on medication for blood pressure or cholesterol so I want to lose the weight I’ve amassed. Is it possible or unlikely that if I lose the weight I’ve gained, and maybe a little more, through diet and exercise (focusing on whole grains/fiber, etc..) that I could return to a healthy blood pressure number? Or is it impossible to lose weight and exercise and eat a healthy diet to lower blood pressure? I would really rather avoid medication if it’s at all possible because I feel like if it’s through my own sedentary lifestyle and eating habits that I got this way, I would rather fix the problem than put a bandaid on it.