When Healthy Habits Aren't Enough: A Personal Health Journey

Have you ever done everything "right" for your health only to discover your body had different plans? That's exactly what happened when my blood pressure climbed to concerning levels despite years of regular exercise, healthy eating, and stress management techniques.

In this deeply personal episode, I open up about facing the reality of my genetic predisposition to high blood pressure—a condition that has affected my two younger siblings for over a decade. Despite my best efforts to maintain an active lifestyle and make conscientious food choices, my readings have crept into the 130s, 140s, and even 150s, placing me firmly in Level 2 hypertension territory.

The wellness industry often perpetuates the myth that we can exercise, eat, or meditate our way out of any health condition. While lifestyle certainly matters and can delay or reduce many issues, sometimes our genetics tap us on the shoulder and demand attention. This realization doesn't mean surrendering to illness—it means developing a more nuanced understanding of health that includes awareness, monitoring, and sometimes medical intervention alongside personal responsibility.

I share my current approach, including increased plant-based eating, eliminating alcohol (yes, even my beloved wine), and investing in tools like an automatic blood pressure monitor. More importantly, I discuss the mental shift from trying to control everything to focusing on what I can influence while accepting what I cannot. This perspective has been surprisingly liberating.

If you're facing similar health challenges or have family tendencies you're hoping to avoid, this episode offers encouragement to embrace awareness over avoidance. Remember that acknowledging vulnerability isn't weakness—it's the foundation of genuine strength. Subscribe to Why Not? Wellness for more honest conversations about health beyond the highlight reel, and remember to keep it moving, even when it means paying closer attention to what your body is telling you.

Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Introduction
• 1:14 Facing Family Health Predispositions
• 3:17 My High Blood Pressure Reality
• 4:43 Beyond Exercise and Diet
• 6:17 The Power of Paying Attention
• 8:07 Health as a Relationship

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to Sisters in Service podcast. Most of you know me as a strong advocate for women veterans in being recognized not only as veterans but also as women who are changing the world through our passion of serving even after service. This podcast is my passion by telling all the stories of military brats, military spouses, active duty and veterans, not to forget the veteran service organizations that help us along our transition journey. I want to thank you in advance for listening. I hope that you will join me. Every week, a new podcast and episode comes out every Tuesday, so I hope that you will join and I hope that you enjoy. This podcast is brought to you by Small Space Pilates. Are you ready to get fit and fabulous from the comfort of your own home? Look no further than Small Space Pilates. With live online Pilates and strength training classes, a video library and a no perfection allowed policy, you can achieve your fitness goals without ever leaving your house. Click on the link for your complimentary week and start your journey to feeling fabulous today. Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest episode of why Not? Wellness.

Speaker 1: 1:21

I'm your host and movement specialist, kat Corchado. You know I wanted to talk about something a little bit personal today and it's something that we all need to think about, whether we like it or not, and it's our health. Now, more specifically, paying attention to our health, even when we think we're doing everything right, and this is especially for those of us who carry a predisposition to a family. Maybe it's high blood pressure, maybe it's diabetes or heart disease. So, whatever it is, today's episode is for you and for me. So I want to say that high blood pressure runs in our family, and I'm the oldest of three kids. I will also tell you that my two younger siblings have been on high blood pressure medicine for years I want to say at least 10, maybe more.

Speaker 1: 2:22

So here's the thing I have a predisposition to high blood pressure. It runs in my family. I've watched the people I love deal with it and I always thought well, if I stay active, eat mostly right, keep my stress down, yada, yada, yada, I'll be fine. And honestly, I did all that and I continue to do all that. I tried to outrun it and I have literally the hours I spent in the gym or just working out, the walks, the healthy meals, but guess what? My blood pressure still crept up to the point where it is a level two. So regular blood pressure is 120 over 80. Mine is in the 130s, 140s, 150s, and you see where I'm going. So is that dangerous? Yes, it is, and I could ignore it, but it's enough of a wake-up call for me to say what can I do about this? And maybe you've been there too. You're doing your best, but your genetics just taps you on the shoulder and says, hey, I'm still here.

Speaker 1: 3:42

So what I want to say is I did make an appointment with my doctor. I haven't been yet. I'm still going to get myself checked because, you don't know, high blood pressure at a level two is pretty significant. What I'm trying to do is do more plant-based eating. I have cut out wine, which saddens me because I think of wine as its own food group, but I have to do what I have to do because it's my health that we're talking about. I'm still getting checked by a doctor, but I want them to know that I don't want any medication. Will I take a script for it? Sure, but I'm not going to fill it. I want to see if I can bring this down myself.

Speaker 1: 4:30

So you know, there's this myth, especially in the wellness space, that you can rock your body into perfection, that you can out-exercise, out-eat, out-meditate your way out of any health issue. And don't get me wrong, lifestyle matters a lot. It can delay which I've been doing reduce or even prevent some conditions. But sometimes, even when you're doing all the right things, your body has its own plans and that doesn't mean you failed. It just means you're human. You can't always outrun your tendencies, but you can pay attention, which is what I've been doing. I have to pay attention or else I may not be here. So, for my husband's sake, for my family's sake, for my sake because I still got a whole lot of things to do, y'all I'm telling you that I need to take care of. So I need, for not only their sake but also for mine, to do everything I can, even if it means a low dose of some medication.

Speaker 1: 5:38

Now let me just speak about medication for just a second. I'm not anti-medicine. I just don't want to take medicine if I don't have to, and that comes from years of watching my mom carry around a baggie of medication that looked like Skittles and I said I will never, ever do that. So not anti-medication, I'm just medication. For me, I'm kind of like ugh but and not but, and what I've learned is that paying attention is more powerful than trying to control everything. It's understanding that you're doing all the right things, but you just need a little something else that maybe you're not capable of doing it, but somebody ie a doctor can I get regular checkups? I monitor my numbers. I just bought a new blood pressure medicine cuff that does it automatically. There's an app on the phone, easy peasy.

Speaker 1: 6:42

I listen to my body even more than I did before. I don't wait for the symptoms to show up to take action. I've shifted from just trying to avoid illness to trying to understand my body better and let me tell you it's less stressful. There's a freedom in accepting that you don't have total control, but you do have influence. That's huge. I can't control everything. I don't want to control everything, but I want to do what's best for my body.

Speaker 1: 7:17

So if you're listening and you know, you've got something in your family history a health shadow following you. Ooh, sounds ominous. But I want to encourage you don't ignore it. You know it's there. Don't try to pretend you're the exception. Be the person who pays attention. Get the checkup, track the numbers, talk to the doctor. Build awareness instead of fear, because the earlier you know, the more power you have to live well.

Speaker 1: 7:55

So health isn't always about control. Sometimes it's about the relationship your relationship with your own body, your family history, your habits and your future. So this week, take a moment, ask yourself what have I been ignoring Because I thought it was too healthy for it to matter. And then check in. You're not weak for being vulnerable to something. You're strong for facing it head on. So thanks for spending this time with me today. For me getting a little personal, be well, you know that I'll catch up with you in the next why Not? Wellness episode, but until then, this is Kat Corchado, your movement specialist, telling you to keep it moving, even when it means paying attention to your body. So until next time, keep it moving, thank you.