You gotta have a goal!

I find that the best way to meet a goal is to have a reason for reaching it. In my weight battle, my goal has always been to look better, but that obviously was never enough.

But then my blood pressure spiked dangerously high and I was scared senseless. And although I have been on every diet known to man, I was clueless as to how to lick this issue once and for all.

So I did what every journalist does before tackling a story: I researched. And came up with a list of things I needed to do to get my BP down.

1. Lose weight. Research has proven that only a 5 percent weight loss -- 10 pounds for a 200-lb, person -- can drop that BP.
2. Change my diet. Instead of approaching this as what I can't eat, I started eating more vegetables and fruit  -- crowding out the room in my stomach for the bad stuff.
3. I went to a hypnotist -- that is fodder for another post -- and learned some invaluable techniques that I practice daily.
4. I embraced exercise. I have done yoga for years, but cardio was never my thing. I really hate going to the gym. But I have found a new love -- which I will share another day.
5. I limited alcohol. Not that I was a heavy drinker, but if I was with friends, three or four glasses of wine was not uncommon. And sometimes my husband and I would drink a bottle of wine with dinner. I don't do that anymore.
6. Handle stress. Working on this, but my hypnotist has helped me tremendously.
7. I bought a blood pressure machine. I know that these are never 100 percent accurate, but if I use it at the same time and in the same place daily, it serves me well. Since January, I have lowered my  systolic (top) number by 25 points; my diastolic (bottom) number by 18 points.

I call that progress.