Went to the new sports doc yesterday [more on him later] and received a “Stage 1 Hypertension” result from my blood pressure test. He has to read it on two more occasions before he can actually diagnose me, but it is what it is.

Now… what has caused it? According to WebMD, the following are common causes:

• Smoking – I don’t.
• Being overweight or obese – I’m not.
• Lack of physical activity – Hah!
• Too much salt in the diet – Possible.
• Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day) – Nope.
• Stress – Hah!
• Older age – Not really.
• Genetics – Damn it?
• Family history of high blood pressure – Damn it?
• Chronic kidney disease – No.
• Adrenal and thyroid disorders – No.

Back to the good old genes and family history. There’s a possibility I’m getting too much salt, but with the amount I sweat on a regular basis, I sort of doubt it.

My plan of action is to work out a little more in this downtime (although a couple months of [relative] inactivity aren’t enough to get me where I am), and focus on eating more healthy. I already eat healthier than 95% of Americans (could definitely improve on lunch quality, but that’s tied to stress and happiness; I love a nice lunch), but I guess given my genetics, that’s not good enough.