The Symptoms of the Heart

I suffered from high blood pressure starting last March, ranging from 130/90 to 150/100. As i met people, I often hear them say “lifestyle change”. It became a bit annoying because the word itself was so ambiguous. However, the honest truth was that, I don’t want to change. EATING IS ENJOYING LIFE. As my dad says, If you don’t eat delicious bad food, you still die (Translated from Chinese). Truth really hurts. If you don’t accept it, you wouldn’t be able to go above it. Love for life and love for my family cried out within me, the will to survive – I have to overcome this for my family. I HAVE TO CHANGE!

What is this so called “lifestyle change”? The practical things I did were:

1. DIET – I removed sweets, junk food, fried foods, and food high in carbohydrates like pizza, pasta, adjusted rice (just ate 1/4 to 1/2 cup), ate more vegetables, and chicken or fish for protein.

2. REST and RELAX – slept early around 9:30 to 10pm. I noticed when I lack sleep, my blood pressure increases. Do not worry as the Bible says in Matthew 6:34

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Context 6:25-34) Who of us by worrying can solve the problem? God knows we need all these things. He is our provider so instead of worrying, PRAY to God, lift it up to Him.

3. Exercise – I joined my children in swimming and sometimes walking. But it has been awhile again that we haven’t done this.

4. SUPPLEMENTS – The easy way out to treat high blood pressure is to take medicine. Drink it, and everything is fine, so we can continue our old unhealthy eating habits. Thank God I was introduced to products that worked for me. It is a bit expensive because its networking items. But it was worth to try since I was desperate. 

5. LISTEN AND PRIORITIZE – I am a person who likes to get things done fast. I don’t want to leave things undone. And that can give me stress. It also gives me pressure when I think of what I need to finish because I’m rushing. But now, I have to listen to my body signal. If my body is sleepy and tired, I have to slow down and rest. If we keep on with the pressure, our bodies will fail us as our bodies age. In my trips, I often watch movies, even when i woke up early for the flight. Last time I did it, my bp went up 130/90 because of tiredness. So this time, instead of watching, I opted to go back to the hotel and rest. We need to prioritize. As the saying goes , health is wealth. 

Before i started taking these supplements, I had my blood test so that I can have a base line.  In a week or 2, my blood pressure started to normalize. After a month, I went to have my blood test again. My triglycerides, my VLDL, and cholesterol ratio all improved. From the networking product, my wife tried looking for cheaper products available in the market that had the same function but for a fraction of the price. After a month of trying it out, same good results – higher HDL, lower uric acid, others are normal except for the remaining cholesterol which is still high. However the cholesterol ratio is good. 

As a result, I started out with a weight of 175lbs, now I’m down to 158-160lbs. I still continue my diet, though have a little freedom to enjoy some treats, sometimes. 🙂 My blood pressure at home is 110/70 to 120/80. Praise God for His grace.

CHANGE is never easy. It comes from within. A lot of us desires change but we are unable to. We want to stop an addiction but we keep on going back to it. Why? Because by our own will power, change is impossible. We need to change from the inside out. How can we do that? The Bible says in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” We have a sinful heart and we need a savior. John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We need to go to God through Jesus. Jesus made a way for us to be reconciled with God. It was through His Death on the cross, and His Resurrection. Matthew 11:28 He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” In Ezekiel 36:26 God says “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” And in the new testament, 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” If we accept Jesus’ invitation to come to Him, to put our faith in Him, to surrender our lives to Him, because without Him we can do nothing. We can be sure that He will change us from the inside out and give us a heart that is new, a heart that will last for eternity.

If this is your desire then you can pray from your heart something like this: “Thank you God for sending your only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for my sins. Forgive me for all my sins. I desire to change and I need a new heart that comes only from you. I accept you into my heart, be my Lord and Savior. Help me be all that you want me to be. In Jesus name, amen.”

If this is your first time to pray this and you know God did something in your life, let me know. Your wonderful journey has just begun. A new heart! Praise God.