Source:kdvr.com<\/p>\n
DENVER (KDVR) — February is American Heart Month, which is a good reminder to get your blood pressure checked\u2014even if you feel healthy.<\/p>\n
According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of adults the U.S. have high blood pressure\u2014which can lead to heart disease and stroke.<\/p>\n
The YMCA if offering a blood pressure self-monitoring program across metro Denver, telling Fox31 diet and exercise are only part of a heart healthy lifestyle.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s something 77-year-old Don Nimtz discovered last year.<\/p>\n
He has a steady gym routine at the YMCA, in Arvada.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the winter, I\u2019m here 4 or 5 times a week,\u201d he told Fox31, shortly before starting his workout.<\/p>\n
Which is why a high blood pressure reading, that he got at the YMCA in Arvada, caught him off guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it was in the 170 range,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI feel like my diet is pretty good and I regularly exercise, so it was a big surprise to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is one of several YMCA locations in metro Denver that offers the testing on site, as part of their blood pressure self-monitoring program.<\/p>\n
\u201cHigh blood pressure doesn\u2019t usually come with symptoms. It\u2019s usually silent,\u201d said Libertad Mendivil, Community Health Recruiter for YMCA of Metro Denver.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you wouldn\u2019t know if you had high blood pressure unless you took your blood pressure consistently,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The program pairs people, like Nimtz, with what\u2019s called a healthy heart ambassador\u2014which essentially is an accountability coach for your heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main focus is to make sure they\u2019re taking their blood pressure at home at least twice a month, and coming in to check with a healthy heart ambassador at the Y at least twice a month with consultation and help them with their goals,\u201d said Mendivil.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more they check it at home and the more they have that support from the healthy heart ambassador, then they are more conscious of the numbers changing,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
The YMCA also offers a nutrition education seminar, focusing on healthy eating habits and lower sodium intake.<\/p>\n
Nimtz says it was stress that caused a spike in his blood pressure, which, has since stabilized.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went through their whole program. Naturally, I went to see my doctor. I\u2019m on some meds now and I believe it\u2019s under control,\u201d he told Fox31.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[672,3149,3148],"class_list":["post-4851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heart-care","tag-blood-pressure","tag-importance-of-checking","tag-regularly"],"yoast_head":"\n