Ask anyone to list out the 3 most prized possessions in life and am sure most of us will list family, health, money…agree? Sadly, chances are that we’re already negotiating on the health aspect for some more zeros in our bank accounts. Aren’t we all?

Rewind two generations; the simple and sound lifestyles our grandparents lived flash by. Active lives, zero screen menace. No Doremon robot to dish out gadgets to ease their work. No quick Ola for that lazy ride, No stress to maintain that impossible phone-life balance and no commuting that crazy traffic to be home on time to be by your child. Yes, that life was good, there was a meaning to the word harmony. Their 8 hour sleep never had annoying whatsapp pings to wake them.

Hello modern world! This is where the temperature, expenses, work hours, relationship demands, social quo, stress and blood pressure all simultaneously shoot up every quarter of the year! As a mom and a fitness freak, I believe even a multitude of fitness mantras – yoga, gym, salsa, Zumba – are perhaps not enough. Reason being, these are but a 45 min a day discourse. We have unceremoniously resorted to sedentary lifestyles, become a lot lazier in comparison to the older lot and hence welcomed many a life crippling ailments into our lives. One such condition that quietly and chronically damages the body is caused by blood pressure problems. It is so common that almost every other forty-something person you meet, seems to be popping BP pills. Scary, but so true.

I was recently at a blogger’s meet where a noted nutritionist spoke at length about how to keep BP in control. After listening to her, I realized that it’s really not that difficult to keep heart problems at bay. Apart from healthy diet of course, certain lifestyle changes are inescapable for a better life expectancy. However, won’t harm to mention a few pointers for you guys:

• Exercise regularly, lose excess weight
• Meditate to manage stress
• Eat healthy, organic, non-aerated, chemical-free, fresh food
• Shake the salt habit
• Brake on smoking completely and drink moderately
• Get BP checked regularly
• Make changes to sedentary lifestyle, keep moving through the day – that extra stretch won’t harm!

During the session, we were also introduced to Omron’s market-leading products that have helped seamless integration in the healthcare industry along with their technology. I was particularly happy to know that Omron had launched a new product for BP – the Smart Elite HEM-7600T. This tubeless, compact and sleek machine comes with an IntelliWrap Cuff that snaps easily on the arm and delivers the most accurate readings regardless of how it’s put on. Which means, even the clumsy ones can use this without any help. Sometimes you can’t be there to help someone take the readings so this feature is really useful. It is a simple one-touch measurement device which has non- complicated functionality and readings. The non-tech savvy ones can now let a sigh of relief. It’s so handy, you can even carry it along on a vacation and so compact that it will fit in your purse or for that matter in any small corner of your house. Additionally of course, for all us tech-savvy ones, you can read all the data on your smartphones because this device connects with the OMRON app. All you have to do is download the app and sincerely record, view and manage your health data.

I got my father to use it and you know how fussy old people can get with technology, but I am so glad he found this device easy to handle. I would recommend this for people who can’t always keep visiting the doctor regularly for check-ups. Even for those who are dependent on someone to get their check-up done at home. It’s another investment one needs to make to keep things in check.

And yes, don’t forget to burn those calories each day…all it takes is a brisk walk with earphones on to enjoy the music matching your heartbeat!