My Dance with Blood Pressure and How to Take Your Blood Pressure Correctly

Both lowering and monitoring BP involve more than just a few elements.

A version of this article was originally posted in Middle-Pause on Medium on February 19, 2025

I’ve been taking my blood pressure for a while now, but I wasn’t taking into account everything that such a reading involves. Also, my position, on a couch with the arm in my lap, wasn’t right.

My situation does not surprise me, because I did learn how to take my BP from my mother rather than read about it, and sometimes when we rely on word-of-mouth advice it’s very easy to get only a few things right. My mother doesn’t take her blood pressure, but she needed to take my father’s when he developed high BP, and she did it the best she knew how. Maybe a health professional told her a few things, such as wrap the cuff on the person’s bare biceps and wait a while after eating or drinking. Also, don’t talk while the monitor inflates the cuff and calculates the BP values.

When I started taking my own BP now and then several years ago, it was because I felt stressed out and I was worried about my diastolic BP. This is the second, smaller number. For at least two decades of my 48 years, I have had high diastolic BP, between 80 and 90 mmHg, which is stage 1 BP despite the good reading, below 130 mmHg, on my systolic BP. In recent years, however, I’ve had stage 2 BP, with a systolic BP between 130 and 140 mmHg and diastolic BP between 90 and 100 mmHg. Sometimes, I’ll also have BP spikes on account of stress, and while my systolic BP may be tolerable, my diastolic BP, going as high as 110 mmHg on these spikes, scares me.

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For more than a decade now I’ve been managing several health-related issues with nutrition, including BP. Still, I wasn’t doing enough for the latter — until I realized that exercise is the remedy. Sure, weight loss also helps —especially for the systolic BP —and I should do more of that too, but while I haven’t been too much overweight, I have had a problem with exercise. Funnily enough, once I started exercising in earnest, I had a great stretch where I also lost some weight: 7 kilos in 2 months.

For that to happen I did calisthenics and dance for a minimum of an hour a day, every single day, while also making several other small changes. I ate smaller portions of my usual meals while adding more vegetables; I waited for signals of hunger before eating again; I reduced my sugar intake; I ate more fiber from veggies, fruit, and legumes; and I took care of my gut flora. I also did house chores as usual, socialized more with friends who are enthusiastic about their wellness, and spent more time in nature. Here’s more about it.

Of course, everyone knows that exercise is the answer to better health on many fronts, including that of blood pressure. I knew that too. But I just didn’t come to it easily. For a while, it didn’t matter, because I’ve always liked to walk. But then I started doing more and more work at my laptop —while also stressing out over not being able to earn more with the work I do (graphic design and various kinds of writing) — and soon I was spending whole days, one after another, without going out for a walk. That became a problem, and, unfortunately, I was slow in changing my routine to accommodate forms of exercise that I could do at home.

I now do calisthenics with some yoga asanas, and I couldn’t be more satisfied not only with the results but also with how I feel. I crave this type of exercise now, much as I still struggle some days to include it on my schedule, and I’m happy to say my BP responds to my new regimen. I now work on a treadmill as well, and did I mention that I also dance in front of the TV while watching the occasional movie?

I also meditate in the evenings — and sometimes throughout the day as well.

During periods when I exercise more, my systolic BP falls in the healthy range of 120–130 mmHg or, rarely, a little above 130 mmHg, and my diastolic BP is often between 87 and 90, which is so much better than 95 mmHg.

I don’t always monitor my BP regularly, because I know, for now, what values I can expect. I did take it, though, twice a day for about a month when I exercised more, with calisthenics on the mat and dancing, and then again for a period of time when I only did a bare minimum of calisthenics.

I didn’t know, though, until I read more about self-measured BP monitoring, that I should have been taking my BP at the same time in the mornings and the same time in the evenings. And that was only one of many things I wasn’t doing right when it came to monitoring my BP at home.

If you, too, have been taking your BP incorrectly, here are a few things to keep in mind:

First, wait 30 minutes after you drink or eat something, smoke, or take any medication.

Also, wait 30 minutes after exercise. Taking a shower or having a bath is also included here.

Before taking your blood pressure, make sure you empty your bladder.

Before wrapping that inflatable cuff around your bare arm, sit in the right position for 5 minutes. That position is on a chair next to a table. Make it a chair that supports your back, and sit with your feet on the ground, legs uncrossed.

After 5 minutes in that position, you are ready to take your blood pressure. Wrap the cuff around your biceps and place your arm on the table, so that your arm is level with your heart. If your arm is lower, you’ll get a higher blood pressure reading!

Note that it’s important that you not talk while the cuff inflates and the automatic blood pressure monitor works its magic.

After you take your BP, wait 2 minutes and take it again. Some say take it three times at 2-minute intervals and discard the first reading. Your BP would then be the average of the second and third reading.

And yes, if you monitor your blood pressure daily, make sure you do that at the same time of the day. You can take it once a day or, better, once in the morning and once in the evening.

It’s also a good idea to measure your BP on both arms, not just your left arm. If you have a big difference in your systolic BP, you’re at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

Okay, that’s all I had to say for now on this topic. Take care of yourselves and make sure you take your BP right!

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Here are some of my products with foods that lower BP and cholesterol naturally. Please note that the writing and images are much crisper on these mugs and magnets.

Thank you for reading! I hope you’ve enjoyed this article. As always, pins and shares are much appreciated!

To a happier, healthier life,

Mira