I finished my second 5K for the year and my daughter painted my nails special for the event. Like the white paw print for the SPCA? Cute.

I have been running (very slowly) for just over a year now and my blood pressure is at the lowest level it has been in 18 years – a healthy 112/82!  Yeah, me!

Did you know that high blood pressure afflicts 74 million adults (or nearly one in three) in the U.S.? I am one of those three.

Yesterday I went to the doctor’s for a routine physical. After the dreaded weight and height measurement ( I think I am shrinking), the next thing the nurse did was take my blood pressure reading. It was high. Not out of this world high, but high enough that they want to monitor it every day this week.  Before I had children my blood pressure was never an issue, but having children can mess with your body chemistry. With my first pregnancy, 14 years ago, my blood pressure sky rocketed and I ended up with pregnancy induced hypertension. Needless to say, my body hasn’t forgiven me yet.

So my doctor wants me back in the office for more readings this week and more than likely she will be putting me on blood pressure medication. Additionally she wants me to increase my aerobic output to 4 workouts a week, cut out more sugar and carbs in my diet, and continue to lose weight (I’ve lost 20 lbs. but she’d like to see me lose another 10 or so).

When I got home I had an email from M80, a social media firm, on behalf of Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation to help spread awareness about high blood pressure. What timing!

Novartis has launched www.1in3people.com, a new site featuring comprehensive information about high blood pressure and its consequences. The site is ideal for those at risk for high blood pressure, those who are managing this condition, and those who are helping loved ones to cope with it. The goal is to promote awareness of high blood pressure. www.1in3people.com provides the facts about high blood pressure in an accessible yet informative format, including an interactive guide to the physical symptoms high blood pressure as it spreads out through the body.

If you are one in three, think you may  be at risk for high blood pressure or know someone who is, visit the site and get informed!