The Powerful Age-Proofer You Need

The biggest thing you can do to make yourself younger doesn't involve buying $100 eye creams, scoring Viagra, or going under the knife. It dramatically makes your RealAge younger and your higher-number birthdays more probable and more vital.

Yet, nobody's doing it. Okay, that's an overstatement. But a new Institute of Medicine report shows that 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. and 1 in 5 Canadians has high blood pressure (BP), and the numbers are rising. Worse, about two-thirds of people with high BP aren't doing enough to prevent it from causing impotence, vision loss, heart disease, stroke, or wrinkles. Lowering blood pressure – the ultimate antiager -- is essential and easy, yet 1 out of every 6 people in the U.S. dies from hypertension every year.

The secret sexy side of hypertension is that when you change your numbers, you change your life and end up lighter, healthier, and younger. Eye creams don't do that! Get started with the eating plan known as DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension): It features lean protein (no red meat), whole grains, nuts, produce, and low-fat dairy foods. (Yes, that's the diet we modified to be even healthier in YOU: On a Diet.) It takes down systolic blood pressure (the top number) by as much as 11 points and diastolic by more than 5.

Other pressure reducers: Physical activity, cutting back on alcohol, and for some people, cutting back on salt. Aim to get your BP below 115/76. If you can't do it by yourself, get your doc in on the project. Your body depends on you.