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Apr 12 2024

Know Your Blood Pressure Numbers

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Summary

You can improve your health by taking small, simple steps and building on them over time. Join us to implement small changes every two weeks.

Join us as we create healthier habits, one small step at a time!


Creating a healthy lifestyle can seem overwhelming. Influencers and wellness experts would have us believe that it takes hours in the gym and a very complicated diet plan to improve our health. But that’s just not true!

We’ve all experienced a burst of motivation, sworn to make major changes, and then found ourselves burned out and over it and going back to our old ways.

Let’s try something new. You can improve your health by taking small, simple steps and building on them over time.

Over the next several months, we will walk with you as you implement small changes every two weeks. We will create healthier habits that stick and celebrate our wins along the way.

Our goal is to provide easy tips that you can incorporate right away. We will focus on one habit at a time so we don’t get overwhelmed and it always feels manageable. You’ll stack up the wins all year long which will motivate and empower you to continue building a healthy lifestyle.

Check out our Small Steps for Better Health podcast and blog series, and sign up for True North, our e-newsletter, for support and education as we take the first step on our wellness journey! We will all start together on our first “bite sized” habit on Monday, April 29.

The most important thing to remember is that consistency is key. Don’t get bogged down in trying to make everything perfect. Let’s take some small steps together for better health!

First Small Step

Next week we will start diving into the small steps that can improve your health, but this week let’s get a baseline. High blood pressure affects a lot of people, but many of us don’t even know we have a problem. The good news is that it usually responds quickly to lifestyle changes.

This week your goal is to check your blood pressure. All NMMC Wellness Centers and many local businesses offer free blood pressure checks. Find out what your blood pressure is and record it.

What if my blood pressure is high?

Generally we want your blood pressure to be less than 130/80. Patients with certain health conditions may have different targets, but that is a good rule of thumb. If you check your blood pressure and it’s higher than 130/80 several times, it’s a good idea to reach out to your primary care provider and have a checkup.

Listen to Episode 1: Know Your Numbers, and subscribe to our podcast to follow along with Small Steps for Better Health.

Small Steps for Better Health Episode 1Creating a healthy lifestyle can seem overwhelming. Influencers and wellness experts would have us believe that it takes hours in the gym and a very complicated diet plan to improve our health. But that's just not true! In today's episode, we introduce Small Steps for Better Health, which is an expert-backed plan to make healthy choices easy and sustainable. Dr. Lakeisha Chism at Verona Medical Clinic tells us all about how to build on healthy habits over time.
Dr. Lakeisha Chism
Dr. Lakeisha Chism
Meet the author

Lakeisha Chism, MD

Family Medicine

Lakeisha Chism, MD, is a family physician at Verona Medical Clinic. She is board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Chism received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Memphis. She received her medical training from Meharry College in Nashville, Tennessee, and completed her residency at North Mississippi Medical Center Family Medicine Residency Program in Tupelo.

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Like this content and want to get more? Sign up for True North, the health and wellness newsletter from North Mississippi Health Services!

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