My story: my advice for people dealing with hypertension

It's never too late to change your habits if you have hypertension.

You know, stress reducers now since I'm retired are rather simple. I do make it a point that, every other day, I go to the gym.

I do my cardio exercises. I do my weight training, and I find that to be extremely relaxing.

I listen to music more. I go out and hit golf balls. My diet went to a healthier, more fiber-rich type

of diet that really is recommended by the American Heart Association, my cardiologist. And the most important thing is I call my friends,

and we have lunch together. The social aspect of that, the laughing, the smiling, the storytelling is totally relaxing for me.

I've developed some habits to keep me aware of what I need to do, and one is to get a pill box.

With a pill box, it helps me to take the right dosage at the right time. I have my smartphone set so that, you know,

if I'm late taking my medication, an alarm will go off, and that helps me to be on time and regular with my medications.

I went out and bought really good exercise shoes. You know, I'm treating myself to things that will help me exercise more.

I think, you know, those kind of habits are maybe life changing and life saving for me. So, you know, it's real important

to ask the questions of your cardiologists, you know, Doctor, what should I do?

How should I go about doing this? And if I don't, what are the consequences? I think knowing the consequences will certainly