Welcome!
My blood pressure was good most of my life (usually around 114/68, to give you an idea). But when I got up to my high weight my usual BP was around 142/94 on an average day. I had not yet been put on meds and decided to act quickly to try to get it down. Now, about five months later, my BP is usually somewhere between 108/62 - 118/70 (unless I'm panicking/upset, then it's in the low 120s/70s-80s). It is consistently this way now and has been for a couple months (I take my regularly in between doctor's visits - and I'm trained to take BP).
What I did:
Lost ~28% of my starting body weight (although I saw BP improvements sooner than this)
Started regular exercise (mostly walking 3-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes, and some light weight training for my joints)
Stopped drinking alcohol
Watch my sodium (I keep it around 1500 mg or below on most days - some days I go over, like if I have to eat out a bunch)
Working on managing my stress and anxiety (this is an ongoing battle, but it's helping)
I think all of it helps, but the regular exercise was what got me below the 120/80 mark on a daily basis. Without that, my BP drifts up closer to 124/84 or around there. That's higher than I want it because I KNOW I can get it lower (and I now have). My resting heart rate has also gone from being in the 80s to the 60s to low 70s range (sometimes down to like 54 if I'm sleepy or really relaxed, but that's infrequent).
I hope my examples helped a bit. I still have a ways to go with my fitness, but just some light to moderate regular exercise has helped a TON (along with the weight loss and other stuff). It's like people are always saying: exercise is for health, not weight loss. In my case, this is very true!
You can very likely lower your BP, or at least do things that will be hugely helpful in managing it whether or not you're taking medications for it.
BP Success Stories?
