hypertension

High Blood Pressure: What it Means to You

According to WebMD, high blood pressure (or hypertension) affects 1 in 4 American adults, making it one of the most prevalent conditions in the country. Despite its prevalence, many people don’t fully understand the risks of living with high blood pressure or what to do about it.

The first thing to understand about high blood pressure is that it’s a serious condition. While it is possible to live with high blood pressure for many years without any negative effects, untreated hypertension can have very significant consequences. High blood pressure, if left unaddressed, can lead to heart and kidney disease, stroke, and artherosclerosis, all of which can be debilitating or fatal.

Now that you understand the seriousness of the situation, you may be asking yourself, “What can I do?” The first step in being proactive is to have your blood pressure checked by a health professional. This should be done once a year, and is usually included in all visits to a doctor’s office. By having it checked frequently, you will be able to see trends as they develop and before it may be too late.

One of the greatest risk factors (as well as one of the best tools to prevent or improve high blood pressure) for hypertension is the diet. The high-fat, high-sodium diets common in America contribute greatly to the high prevalence of hypertension. By reducing your salt intake and increasing the number of fresh fruits and vegetables that you consume, you’ll take an important step in the fight against high blood pressure. If you are diagnosed with hypertension, the DASH diet may be prescribed—this diet focuses on reducing one’s intake of salt, cholesterol, saturated fat, and red meat, replacing them with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Exercise is also paramount in reducing the likelihood of hypertension-related problems. By exercising 30-60 minutes a day, you can greatly decrease your risk of having high blood pressure and suffering negative consequences. Exercise doesn’t have to be intense to be effective—even brisk walking can be very beneficial. Increasing your weekly amount of exercise will also encourage weight loss, another important facet of high blood pressure prevention.

High blood pressure is both common and serious, but by becoming informed and proactive, you’ll be a step ahead of the game. By having your blood pressure checked regularly, focusing on improving your diet, and increasing your daily exercise, you’ll be well on your way to reducing your blood pressure and living a healthier, happier life.

El Sol No Azucar Pura Energia Review

Benjamin hooked me up with El Sol and now hooks me up again with El Sol Sugar Free Energy Drink from Lotte. This is another drink that tries for a Spanish speaking audience with its name, the language (sans azucar) and soccer theme. The can is pretty similar to the original but trades the bright blue for a silver background. They aren't going to win any awards with this can, but it does stick with their theme. Silver, white, and baby blue seem to be the popular choices for these sugar free energy drinks and few companies branch out in a different direction. I guess you have to stay with what works.

El Sol Sugar Free does not stand up to the flavor of the sugar full version. Now I'm not saying that the original El Sol Energy Drink was great, but it is a much stronger entrant than this beverage. El Sol Sugar Free has a very strange flavor that mixes a sweet apple honey with artificial aftertaste. After that you experience some very salient vitamin bitterness with some wheat bran flavor. It's also much too sweet and leaves a strange flavor in your mouth, that I would describe as mildly unpleasant. I would not drink El Sol Sugar Free Energy Drink if other drinks were available for purchase.

I wish El Sol Sugar Free had given me more of a boost, but it failed to live up to being a true energy drink. I got only a really minor boost from the drink and it barely woke me up. I gave El Sol Sugar Free a pretty standard test drinking it about 30 minutes after I woke up to see if it would rush me back to mental alertness. It just did not cut it in the test as I still had cobwebs of drowsiness in my head 30 minutes later. You can expect 2 hours of modest energy from the drink, but nothing more than that. The beverage is sugar free with only 2 calories. The basic ingredient list reveals why the boost was so weak with only taurine, citric acid, guarana, Vitamin C, inositol, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and B Vitamins.

Die Hard Berry Sports Energy Drink Review

It's time to finish off the Die Hard line of Energy Drinks with Die Hard Berry. Die Hard is the non-carbonated sports energy drink line up from Leading Brands. They created Die Hard to replace their old drink lineup for Trek Nitro and I have to say that Die Hard is the superior product. In my reviews of the Lemon, Orange, and Punch flavors I have really enjoyed the trinity of characteristics: packaging, flavor, and boost. Die Hard provides a compelling offering for the sports enthusiast who wants a solid boost before, during, or after their workout. The berry flavor completes the Die Hard offering and gives a good variety of flavors to choose from, so let's see how the flavor stacks up.

I am falling in love with Die Hard Berry's flavor. It's been awhile since I have had a great tasting berry energy drink and Die Hard Berry fits the bill. I would put the taste right up there with Punch as the best Die Hard flavor. I will give Die Hard Berry a slight edge for while I like both punch and berry, the berry seems a big lighter for a quenching sports energy drink. The flavor is a light blue raspberry that has a gentle sweetness. It goes down very cleanly with no aftertaste at all and just a minor hint of berry tartness. The flavor is one of the best blue raspberry expressions I have seen since it is so light and free of superfluous flavors. The end result is a drink that is quite thirst quenching; Leading Brands did a great job with this flavor of Die Hard.

The energy drink ingredients in Die Hard Berry are the same at the other flavors of Die Hard. This is a drink that is great for your workout needs. It's not going to make you go bonkers with energy and get crazy jittery, but gives you a strong boost that results in plenty of stamina. I think the title of Sports Energy Drink is apt for Die Hard. It's really an excellent drink for producing a strong boost without a huge energy spike or buzz. If that sounds good to you than definitely get yourself some Die Hard. I know I'll be stocking up.

Drink Vegas Energy Drink Review

I am not going to give you any jokes for Drink Vegas Energy Drink. I feel like with all the Vegas based Energy Drinks on the market I don't need to do the clichés, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." However, Drink Vegas Energy Drink changes the slogan a bit saying, "What happens in Vegas doesn't have to stay in Vegas. Take some home!" That is one of the worst slogans I have ever seen on an energy drink. Drink Vegas is made by Phoenix Global Group who also makes Pink (which I have been trying to find forever). Joining the crowded Vegas Energy Drink field of King888 and Vegas Fuel, Drink Vegas Energy Drink is the only one to come in an 8 ounce can. I guess Las Vegas can have a lot of namesake drinks since it is the energy drink capital of the world although Miami gives it a serious run for the money.

Drink Vegas comes out of the can with a light blue color. It is not what I was expecting since I thought it would be a Red Bull Clone. The flavor is a mix of Red Bull with a blue raspberry energy drink. It keeps the gumminess and heavy white grape flavor from the Red Bull clone category, but then also overlays a better blue raspberry on top of that. The blue raspberry is very subtle and has the effect of really pulling out a grape flavor on top of everything. It's weird to be drinking a blue beverage and thinking grape. It's dully tart, but seems to be lacking some sharp tartness. Combine that with some syrupy thickness that lacks some high sugar notes and the taste seems to bog down and become a little boring. It's a drink that should be better than it is, but just doesn't live up to the promise of excitement that I associate with Vegas.

Drink Vegas was all show and no substance on taste and performs similarly on flavor. Clocking in at 110 calories with 26 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of protein I thought this baby might live up to the party style of Vegas. I was wrong though. The drink only has 1000 mg of taurine, 48 mg of caffeine, inositol, ginseng, HFCS, citric acid, and B Vitamins. That is just not enough for a good boost! I got maybe 2 hours of energy from the drink and it kicked in slower than almost every other energy drink I have had. I am being generous with the 2 hours, this is really a disappointment on kick and flavor. If Drink Vegas was the only energy drink with the Vegas theme then maybe I would recommend it, but with so many other quality Vegas products stay clear of it.

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Pro Player Energy Drink Endurance Formula Review

Pro Player Energy Drink was the first poker themed energy drink to hit the market. It was out well before All In Energy Drink, but I had never seen it until a buddy mailed it to me. From my research I believe Pro Player comes in several varieties, but the one I am reviewing today is Pro Player Endurance Energy Drink. Pro Player is "scientifically developed to help poker players maintain focus, endurance and mental acuity." The company markets the product with the unoriginal slogan, "Play to win," and uses world class poker player Phil Hellmuth as the product sponsor. I do like the look of the 16 ounce can, although I prefer the dark black look of All In Energy Drink better. Let's find out which drink is truly the king of the poker energy drinks.

Pro Player Endurance Formula is lightly carbonated, but not very flavorful. Sadly the beverage has the gumminess that you see in classic energy drink flavors, although the flavor profile is different from a Red Bull Clone. Pro Player has a light orange citrus flavor with a little lime burst at the end. Unfortunately it does have a medium vitamin aftertaste that combines with the gumminess to make it kind of unpleasant. Pro Player Endurance Formula could benefit from a stronger, more nuanced flavor and more carbonation. I wouldn't say it's a bad drink, but it is below average.

I will say that Pro Player Endurance Formula does give a pretty good boost. For a 16 ounce drink I found that the energy rush was more than solid with a great burst of stamina and a quick rush of mental energy. I felt that the drink boosted both my alertness and endurance. I think the main downside to Pro Player Endurance is that it had me bouncing off the walls and acting jittery and agitated. I'm not much of a poker player to begin with so maybe the extra jitters and excitement will make me harder to read, but I have to imagine true players will be bothered by the jitters and jumpiness. The drink has 240 calories and 58 grams of sugar with a pretty good mix of ingredients including: sucrose, dextrose, citric acid, 2000 taurine, choline, malic acid, l-carnitine, gingko, green tea, caffeine, gum Arabic, and B Vitamins. In comparing Pro Player Endurance Formula to All In Energy Drinks I would give the All In line the edge on flavor and Pro Player the edge on raw energy boost. However, if you take into account jitters I think the All In Energy Drink represents a better offering for the die hard poker player.

Peptime Island Lemon Lime Energy Shot Review

I am back with another Peptime Energy Shot to try, this time the Island Lemon Lime flavor. Peptime has not been my favorite energy shot, but I will say that I have been using shots more and more. I just drink them on the go. Sure you have a brief moment of pain from the less than stellar flavor, but then it's in your system doing it's work to wake you up and get you going. Peptime as a brand is about average so far and I am interested to see how the lemon lime version goes. Luckily this is Island Lemon Lime, because we all know that the islands produce the best tasting fruit flavors. HAHAHA!

Usually the lemon lime versions of the shots are the worst because they are too tart. But for Peptime it is the best of the lot. I would still put it a notch below On Go and 6 Hour, but this is a decent energy shot that you can consume without much pain. The flavor starts with a quick blast of lime tartness. Then your brain kicks on and the flavor starts to spread and before you know it bitterness has washed across your tongue. It's not unbearable, but is definitely present. After that a little flat lemonade flavor hits your tongue. It's pretty marginal as far as taste goes, but that still gives Peptime Island Lemon Lime enough to beat out several other brands of energy shots.

Peptime has been solid on the energy rush. It's not an elite shot in terms of a boost, but it does get the job done. I found Lemon Lime to fit the same mold as the other Peptimes. Decent energy for about 4 hours that doesn't kick in quite as fast as other shots, but nothing out of this world. Peptime does merge a good lemon lime flavor with decent energy though and that is enough for some. The ingredients are: caffeine (200 mg), B Vitamins, taurine, glucuronolactone, caffeine, glycerine, malic acid, citric acid, and EDTA. Would I drink Peptime Island Lemon Lime again… definitely, but it's not going to be the first shot I reach for when I need some extreme energy in a small bottle.