Did you know that one in every three adults has high blood pressure? Are you one of them? I had some good news the other day. It seems that all of my hard work trying to eat healthy and lose weight is finally paying off. For the first time in years my blood pressure is actually normal. Yaaay! This is just the kind of validation I was looking for when I began my journey of weight loss and healthy living. If you have high blood pressure or know someone who does, here are some tips that can help lower blood pressure naturally.

For some people, staying fit qualifies as a fun hobby. They choose to do things they enjoy, like running, biking, swimming, or rock climbing (or all of those things, and more). Other people know that they should move, so they choose activities that are convenient and effective -- even if they don’t particularly like to do them. But what makes someone go from just liking (or putting up with) exercise to saying, “I LOVE to work out?”

It seems like I'm always hearing something about races. Someone is either thinking about participating, or is currently in training, or has just completed one. There are all kinds of options, too -- whether it’s something short like a 5k, or a 10-miler, or a marathon, or even triathlons. Even if they're not taking place right here in my geographic area, I still end up hearing about them because they’re constantly being written about online.

Sunday marks the first day of summer...How are you feeling about getting into your bathing suit? Personally, I was hoping to be in a little better shape by now. Even though I've been successful at getting closer to my ideal weight, I've been playing one step forward and two steps back for the last several weeks.

Once in a while, I like to take some time to explore fitness options that I haven't tried yet. While some of them are better left to braver people than I (like the trapeze classes I wrote about last week), I usually end up finding a few things that I could see myself doing. I also like reading about the experiences other people have had while trying these things -- it gives me an idea of what I could expect. Ultimate Frisbee

Of all the random activities I could see myself enjoying but haven’t yet tried -- horseback riding, for instance -- flying through the air on a trapeze has never been included in that list. While it certainly sounds cool, it’s just not something I can picture myself signing up for. I think I’ll stick to reading about it, and also...watching it. Because, you see, a new trapeze school has opened in Washington, DC and their temporary location is outdoors (9th and H St NW), not far from my workplace.

I'm not a lover (or a hater) of the Oprah Show, when she has something I'm interested in I watch, otherwise I don't. Since I write about health and wellness, I do tend to be more interested in her health related shows. Now there is a Newsweek article addressing her many controversial and sometimes misleading health related shows. No surprise, there are a lot of women blogging about whether or not Oprah's advice is good advice.

If I’m meeting a guy for a first date, I’ve never once suggested that we go to a gym and lift weights together, or run a few miles, or hit some balls at a batting cage. I like to pay attention to what they’re saying, and if I’m doing something strenuous I tend to focus on that instead. But these activities -- otherwise known as fitness dates -- are popular with a lot of people.

How private do you think your personal medical information is? You may be surprised (or angry) to find out the truth. Could you be unknowingly giving away your private information to unscrupulous marketers? Well, if you're one of the 27 million people that have taken an online questionnaire to determine your real age, that may be exactly what has already happened. From Stephanie Clifford at The New York Times...

When I worked at WebMd, we saw a lot of people come to the message boards talking about injuries they had received while using exercise bikes and treadmills. They often laughed off their injuries, talked about being a Klutz and for awhile we had a running thread about the injuries from the Gazelle. Injuries from exercise equipment are common.

Like many people, I have a desk job. Except for a few months at a fast food restaurant when I was 16, and a year working as a hostess at The Olive Garden (both of these positions required me to stand for long periods of time), I’ve had a desk job since I was 18. For the most part, this has worked in my favor.

Attitude is everything. Age is just a number. You are what you think. Your thoughts on aging may determine how long you live. Sound like a lot of new age jargon? It's not. Research is showing that those phrases are true. If you allow stereotypical thinking about aging to determine your behavior both now and in the future, you may be doing actual damage to your health and well-being.