A Hero With High Blood Pressure

Even a football star can suffer from this life-threatening condition. Learn how he took steps to reclaim his health.

Football star Joe Montana thought he'd be the last person to have high blood pressure. "I'm an athlete," says Montana, 49. "I'd been working out all my life, so I thought, It won't affect me." But it did.

Montana, whose blood pressure had always been normal, retired at age 39. He felt fine, but a family history of the condition, combined with his love of salty foods, burgers and steaks and the fact that he'd taken a break from exercise, took their toll.

At age 46, at a physical that his wife urged him to get, his blood pressure was sky high. His doctor sent him straight to a cardiologist, who found a clot forming in one of Montana's arteries and started him on medication.

But it didn't work. So, with the help of his family, he made some changes. "Instead of the 18-ounce porterhouse steak, we'll make the 6-ounce filet," he says. His kids keep the saltshaker away from him. At fast food restaurants, they tell him: "You don't need a cheeseburger, Dad," or "You don't want to finish that, Dad. I'll do it."

Montana is back on the treadmill or StairMaster every day, tosses the ball with his kids, and simply keeps moving. And he found a drug that works for him. Now his reading is a healthy 117/80.

For tips on how you can follow Joe Montana's lead, visit getbpdown.com.

From Reader's Digest - February 2006

 

•  

• Protect Yourself Against This Quiet Killer
• 20 ways to lower your blood pressure.
• 
• Heart-Healthy Advice You Need
• Whether you're at high risk for heart trouble or you're trying to control early-stage heart disease, here are some simple lifestyle changes you can make.
• 
• Warning Signs of Heart Disease
• Important symptoms to watch out for.
• 
• Choosing a Home Blood Pressure Kit
• This do-it-yourself test can be more accurate than at your doctor's office
• 
• 30 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke
• Take cardiovascular disease from high risk to low risk with these simple tips
• 
• How Some Live Heart Disease Free
• Learn the numerous benefits of fish oil for good cardiovascular health.
• 
• Effortless Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol
• Out with the "bad" cholesterol and in with the "good."
• 
• Heart Disease Risk Factor #6: High Blood Pressure
• The symptom-less cause of damaged arteries.
•