Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure

My wife was just given some medical news that required that she lower her blood pressure. I have been on blood pressure medication for a number of years. As we age, it is common to develop high blood pressure or hypertension. In fact, 53% of Canadians over the age of 60 have hypertension.  Unlike other serious medical conditions, you can do something about hypertension, beyond taking medication.  Several lifestyle changes have been proven to lower blood pressure.

Measure your blood pressure at home using a blood pressure monitor. Of course, proper technique, and when you measure is critical for the highest accuracy at home. 

•      Make sure you relax for 5 minutes before measuring.

•      Sit with your back supported with your arm supported on a table

•      Do not move or speak during the reading

Your real average blood pressure is based on the average of all systolic (the higher number) and all diastolic (the lower number), averaged separately after 7 days of measurements. Take two readings in the morning before breakfast, and two readings at least 2 hours after dinner.  When you calculate the averages, do not include the first day’s data.

Lose weight. Statistics Canada reports that over 60% of Canadians between 45 and 64 years of age are “medically overweight (BMI >25) or obese (BMI >30)”.  Body Mass Index (BMI) is a calculation using your height and weight.  Studies have shown that for every 2.2 lbs. of weight loss, blood pressure is reduced by 1.6 mmHg / 1.1 mmHg.

Get Moving. A survey of physical activity among Canadian adults found that only 12% of people over 60 and less than 20% of people aged 40-59 were meeting the guideline of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week. 

You do not need to train like an Olympic athlete, but you do need to work your heart.  Get your heart rate to 55% – 65% of your maximum heart rate (MHR).  A simple calculation for MHR is 220 – Age, so if your 60, your MHR is approximately 160 and you need to exercise at 96 beats per minute.  Ideally, break up the 150 minutes into 20- or 30-minute sessions.  It doesn’t matter what you do, walk, swim, jog, dance or cycle.  They are all great for heart fitness.

Reduce the amount of salt you eat. There is clinical evidence that reducing sodium in your diet can have a direct impact on lowering your blood pressure significantly.  The target is to reduce your sodium intake to 2000 mg or lower, that is 5g of salt a day.  In order to do this, you will have to read the nutrient facts on packaging, and eat more of your own meals where you can limit the amount of salt.

If you have hypertension, consuming a diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole-grain foods rich in dietary fibre, protein from plant sources, and reducing saturated fats and cholesterol will lower blood pressure. If you are really serious about lowering your blood pressure with diet, follow the “DASH” diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).  There are several cookbooks and recipes available on-line that will help.

Limit Alcohol. Hypertension Canada Guidelines suggest <2 drinks per day, and consumption should not exceed 14 drinks per week for men and 9 drinks per week for women.

There is significant clinical evidence to show that individuals can dramatically lower their blood pressure by changing their exercise and dietary habits.

Perceptions

You have noticed, that people usually see past your appearances? This is interesting because of the fact that we all form first impressions brought on by our personal perception of an individual. 

In psychology, the term perception refers to the different mental processes that we use to form impressions of other people. This includes not just how we form these impressions, but the different conclusions we make about other people based on our impressions.

How often do you make this kind of judgment every day? When you meet someone new, you immediately begin to develop an initial impression of this person. When you visit the grocery store you might draw conclusions about the cashier who checks you out, even though you know very little about this person.

We often form impressions of others very quickly with only minimal information. We frequently base our impressions on the roles and social norms we expect from people.

Physical cues can also play an important role. The salience (salience is the state by which an item stands out) of the information we perceive is also important. Generally, we tend to focus on the most obvious points rather than noting background information. The more novel or obvious a factor is, the more likely we are to focus on it.  

One of the mental shortcuts that we use when creating our impression of a person is known as social categorization. In the social categorization process, we mentally categorize people into different groups based on common characteristics. Sometimes this process occurs consciously, but for the most part, social categorizations happen automatically and unconsciously. Some of the most common grouping people use include age, gender, occupation, and race.

As with many mental shortcuts, social categorization has both positive and negative aspects. One of the strengths of social categorization is that it allows people to make judgments very quickly. Realistically, we simply do not have time to get to know each and every person we come into contact with on an individual basis. Using social categorization allows us to make decisions and establish expectations of how people will behave in certain situations very quickly, which allows us to focus on other things. 

The good news is that people over time can overcome their perceptions and this means that on any given day you can wear any old thing and they'll still get your best, feel your love, and know you rock. 

What do I need to consider in retirement>

There are three phases of retirement and I have discussed them but here are a few things you’ll have to pay attention to as you move to and through your stages of retirement:

Life expectancy.

The average life expectancy for those reaching age 65 in Canada is increasing and is now 83.35 for men and 86.6 for women. The better news is that about 33% of those 65 today will live past age 90. Your pensions and other resources might have to last a lot longer than your grandfather's did.

Health care.

Just because we’re living longer doesn’t mean we’re living healthier. According to the National Council on Aging, about 80 percent of older adults have at least one chronic disease and 68 percent have at least two. In our survey, nearly one in two seniors reported living with two or more chronic conditions. Your retirement plan should include ways to stay active in retirement — and a backup for any costs that your Medicare doesn’t cover.

Long-term care.

The cost of long-term care services can be very high: 24/7 assistance in an institution costs around $60,000 per person per year in Canada. At present, the financing of long-term care in Canada is a patchwork.  Access to long-term care and its cost to individuals vary depending on the region where they live and whether they are still at home or in a residential facility.

In a study published in 2012 by the Institute for Research in Public Policy, t was found that relying on private savings is not an efficient way for Canadians to provide for their potential future care needs, since individuals are likely to save too much or too little.   

On average individuals would need to save the equivalent of $7,500 per year over a 40-year period, a total of $300,000, to adequately prepare for their potential long-term care funding needs (married couples could halve this amount). So, the private savings option is not only not feasible for most, but it would also be a waste of resources, because 80 percent of the population will end up not needing so much savings.

The risk of becoming dependent on formal care for an extended period of time is concentrated among a relatively small segment of the population for whom the risk can reach catastrophic levels in financial terms. For example, at age 65, only 20% of individuals will require care for more than five years in their remaining years.

Housing.

In BC 93% of seniors live independently but may need assistance to stay in their homes, but we should not rely on our homes as our retirement plan. In 2008 and 2009, many of us learned the hard way what can happen if you put all your money into your home. Those who bought in early 2006 watched their equity disappear within a year or two as the housing market crashed. Some homeowners had time to recover, but in retirement, you need a mix of assets that allow you to remain flexible, in case you decide to downsize, renovate or relocate.

5. Market conditions.

We are in a time of negative interest rates in Canada, the United States and Europe. Our central banks appear to be following Japan’s example. This policy could be a problem for pension plans. In addition, due to technology and our global economy, the market changes constantly, and we’ve experienced an incredible amount of volatility.

If the market falls just before or early in your retirement, your entire plan could be at risk. Remember, if you lose 50% of your portfolio, you’ll need to earn 100% to get back to even. In retirement, you’re also withdrawing money and you lose recovery time. It’s important to regularly evaluate market conditions and income-distribution strategies with your financial professional.

Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security (Social Security in the USA).

While pundits and politicians debate the future of these programs, it’s up to you to determine when you should claim your benefits. While most retirees still file before their full retirement age, many advise delaying payments as long as possible to maximize your benefits. Your adviser can help you decide what’s right for your plan. Factors to consider include your family’s medical history and your own, whether you have a pension or other guaranteed sources of income, and if you think you’ll want or need the money while you’re the first stage of retirement and more active then you will be in the second and third stages.

Taxes.

If, like many modern-day pre-retirees, you’ve been socking all your money away in a tax-deferred investment account or Registered Retirement Savings Plan, you could be looking at a problem in retirement. Although most people expect to be in a lower tax bracket when they stop working, that isn’t always the case.

Even if you’re usually in a lower bracket, if you need extra funds for a vacation or some other major purchase, the money you withdraw could temporarily bump you to a higher rate. You’ll also have required minimum distributions to deal with when you turn the magic age. In Canada that is 71 and, in the USA, it is 70.5. If tax rates go up in the future, the problem will only get worse. You may want to consider diversifying your savings into accounts that are taxed in different ways.

Inflation.

Inflation means the market is growing and the economy is doing well. It also puts your purchasing power at risk. One way to find out how is to use the rule of 72 to give you a rough estimate of how inflation affects your spending. For example, if inflation is at 3%, I divide 72 by 3 and I get 24. That means over a 24-year period my spending power will decrease by 50%. If inflation is at 6% then when I divide 72 by 6, I get 12 years. This means that in 12 years what I could buy for $100 will cost me $150.

So, it’s crucial to plan for how inflation could affect your 20- to 30-year retirement. The options for growing your money safely keep changing, so you’ll need up-to-date advice. What worked for a different generation may not be the most lucrative or efficient way to save or invest today.

Like the menu at the restaurant that changes over time, the strategies and products available to you may not even have been conceived of back when your dad or granddad was retiring. Your qualified financial professional can go over your options, see which ones fit your needs and help design a custom — and current — retirement plan

Negative interest rates and Pensions

If the interest you receive from your investments is lower than the rate of inflation, you are receiving a negative interest rate on your return. This means you are losing money by staying in that investment. Around the world, central banks have been, in order to boost economies lowering interest rates. One of the unintended consequences of this decision is on pension funds around the world and the impact these policies have on pensioners.

The following is from a story published online on the Saltwater Network, Going Dutch? Low interest rates rattle 'world's best' pension system written by Toby Sterling

The European Central Bank's (ECB) stimulus policies, which have helped drive interest rates into negative territory, are blamed in part for the impending cuts in the Netherlands and have triggered a fierce debate over how the funding of pensions should be calculated.

At the heart of the Dutch debate is a technical question over how to calculate the cost of future pension payouts while the central bank policies keep interest rates low.

Actuaries make assumptions about how long pensioners will live, count up the future payments that have been promised to them and then use an assumed interest rate to "discount" how much must be put away to pay them.

The lower this interest rate, "rekenrente" in Dutch, the more conservative the accounting, and the more it costs to meet future liabilities.

The rekenrente is derived from government bond yields -- which have turned negative across Europe as interest rates steadily fell this summer.

Each 1% fall in interest rates have led to roughly a 12% fall in the coverage ratio between assets and liabilities in pension pots, the Dutch central bank says.

That has led several funds and some experts to argue that the rekenrente, which is around 0.3%, should be raised instead. Many blame ECB policy and see its effects as temporary.

Increasing the rekenrente to 2% or 3% would restore the funds to full solvency. Corien Wortmann-Kool, the chairwoman of the 456 billion-euro ABP civil servants fund, told Reuters she opposes pension cuts as "unnecessary" for now.

Increasing the rekenrente to 2% or 3% would restore the funds to full solvency. Corien Wortmann-Kool, the chairwoman of the 456 billion-euro ABP civil servants fund, told Reuters she opposes pension cuts as "unnecessary" for now.

"We believe we can achieve good returns, now and in the future," she said, estimating a 4% return over time is achievable despite low-interest rates.

The Dutch pension coverage ratio first fell through a 95% "critical" level, below which pensions should be cut to ensure a fund has enough assets to meet its liabilities, in July. It fell to 88.6% in August before recovering to 91% in September.

But Dutch Central Bank President Klaas Knot, the country's top pension regulator, says the rekenrente is "integral" to the system.

"We will continue to adhere to the risk-free rate of interest," Knot told journalists this week.

His approach is supported by a group of 10 academics who this week wrote to parliament arguing against a change.

"Imagine you took the risk-free rate of return and raised it by 2%. Then the coverage ratio would increase at a typical fund by up to 30%. It sounds too good to be true -- and it is. Pensioners get that money paid out now, but the assets pot will be a little emptier each year, and that would go on each year for years," the letter said.

One reason the Dutch system is considered so strong is its rigorous accounting. Another is its reliance on several different sources of pensions. Its first tier is the basic state pension that is funded by current workers on the "pay as you go" a basis that is the heart of systems in France, Italy and Germany.

The Dutch system relies more heavily than most on a second tier, supplementary employer-run pension funds, the ones preparing cuts. The Dutch fight will be closely watched in the United States and Britain, which have similar tiered systems but funds sometimes use less stringent accounting rules.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) calculates that Dutch retirees get about as much, all told, as their after-tax income while they were working.

But for Dutch pensioners, cuts estimated at up to 8% next year make no sense, given assets in Dutch pension funds have doubled since 2008 to more than 1.5 trillion euros.

This represents the most of any major industrialized nation as a percentage of GDP, as up to 90% of Dutch workers are enrolled in funds to which they and their employers contribute.