Day 5: The Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation

Search Episodes

Previous Episode

Next Episode

Day 5: The Benefits of Mindfulness and Meditation

Host:

Doctor Warrick

Mar 18, 2025

Played 92 times

0 comments

28 Day Challenge

Meditation and mindfulness lower stress levels and reduce blood pressure, promoting cardiovascular wellness.

Welcome to the Younger Longer 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, a transformative podcast series designed to help you take control of your heart health and live a longer, healthier life. Over the next 28 days, we’ll guide you through a comprehensive journey covering key aspects of cardiovascular wellness—nutrition, exercise, stress management, medical awareness, and lifestyle choices.

Each daily episode is packed with expert insights from Dr. Warrick Bishop, best-selling author and cardiologist dedicated to preventing heart disease before it becomes a life-threatening issue. Using the latest science and practical strategies, this series empowers you to make heart-healthy choices and build habits that will support your well-being for years to come.

What You’ll Learn in the 28 Days:

✔ Understanding Your Heart – How it functions and why proactive care is essential.
✔ Heart-Healthy Nutrition – The best foods to fuel your cardiovascular system.
✔ Exercise & Movement – The role of physical activity in strengthening your heart.
✔ Stress & Mental Well-being – Managing stress and anxiety for a healthier heart.
✔ The Power of Sleep – How sleep quality impacts cardiovascular function.
✔ The Impact of Smoking & Alcohol – Making informed lifestyle changes.
✔ Supplements & Medical Insights – Understanding key nutrients and medical checkups.
✔ Advanced Heart Testing & Risk Factors – Going beyond traditional risk assessments.
✔ Sustaining Long-Term Heart Health Habits – Turning knowledge into action for lifelong benefits.

Why Listen?

Get practical tips and science-backed advice you can apply immediately.
Learn from real-world examples and medical expertise.
Gain daily challenges to help you stay engaged and track progress.
Take charge of your heart health in a simple, effective, and engaging way.

Your heart is your most vital organ, and the steps you take today will shape your future health. Whether you’re looking to prevent heart disease, manage risk factors, or simply improve your overall well-being, this 28-day challenge is your roadmap to a healthier, longer life.

Subscribe and start your journey today—because every heartbeat counts!

Transcript

Hi, and welcome to day five, where we're talking about the benefits of mindfulness and meditation.

A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of looking after a patient—we’ll call him John for ease of reference. On this occasion, I was following up on his blood pressure. I had him wear a 24-hour blood pressure monitor, a small device attached to a cuff that automatically took readings. The device measured his blood pressure every 30 minutes from 7 AM to 10 PM and then hourly overnight, giving us a detailed profile of his blood pressure throughout the day.

When I reviewed John's results, something striking stood out. At around 7:30 AM, his blood pressure spiked, and then later in the day, around 5:30 or 6 PM, it noticeably dropped. Importantly, his blood pressure was perfect while he was asleep. So, I showed him the graph and asked, “John, what happens at 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM?”

His response was immediate: “I arrive at work at 7:30, and I leave at 5:30.” It was clear—his blood pressure rose as he started work and dropped as he left.

I then asked him, “Are you aware of any tension in your body while you’re at work? Do you feel like your blood pressure is up?” He admitted that he did, particularly when interacting with his staff—he owned the business, and giving instructions often made him feel tense.

I encouraged him to practice mindfulness during his work interactions. Holding onto tension and stress wasn’t improving outcomes at work, and he already knew that. However, it was harming his health. I asked him to become more aware of how his body felt while speaking to his employees—was he holding tension in his chest, his shoulders, or anywhere else? Was he feeling that same rise in blood pressure?

We repeated the 24-hour blood pressure monitor about three to six months later. The results were remarkable. By practicing focused mindfulness, John was able to significantly change his blood pressure responses. Not only was his nighttime blood pressure good, but now his daytime readings had also improved, even while he was at work.

This shows just how important mindfulness is. Prolonged stress doesn’t just disappear—it accumulates over time and can have serious health consequences. Take a moment to consider: Are you holding onto more tension than necessary? Are there certain situations that are winding you up more than they should?

Check out the resources attached to today’s session. They are incredibly valuable and can help you on your journey to better heart health.

Until tomorrow, take care. Wishing you the very best—bye for now.

Are You at Risk of a Sudden Heart Attack? How Healthy is Your Heart? Really?

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the Western World. In Australia, someone dies every 28 minutes from heart disease. That’s 51 people a day. In the US, someone has a heart attack every 40 SECONDS! Fortunately, many heart attacks are preventable. However, regular exercise and eating healthy are no guarantee you won’t succumb to this silent killer.

94% of Australians have at least One Risk Factor for heart disease.
59% of Australians have been Touched by heart disease.
Yet only 3% of Australians have had a Full Heart-Health Assessment in the past 12 months.

Do the free heart check today at www.virtualheartcheck.com.au

Join the Healthy Heart Network and become part of our growing community!

Do You Want to Improve Your Heart’s Health and Reduce Your Risk of Suffering a Heart Attack? Join The Healthy Heart Network For Only $5 Lifetime Access (Valued at over $55)!

The Healthy Heart Network is designed to help members:

understand the present state of their heart’s health
recognise their current level of risk of suffering a heart attack
Learn the positive steps they can take to improve their situation

Visit https://healthyheartnetwork.com/ and click on the JOIN THE FAMILY BUTTON

Latest Episodes:

Starter Healthy Heart Membership

Subscribe for Future Episodes

Get The Ultimate Health Toolkit

Transcript English

Hi, and welcome to day five. And we're talking about the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Well, a couple of years ago, I had the benefit of looking after a patient. We'll call him John for ease of reference. And I was following up for a number of things, but we were looking specifically on this occasion at his blood pressure and... I'd done a 24-hour blood pressure monitor on him, which allowed me to put a monitor on a cuff, just like a normal blood pressure, but attached to a small device, a machine that you wear like a, well, for those of us that remember, like a Walkman device that you'd wear on your hip. And that would take a blood pressure measurement from about 7 o'clock in the morning for every half an hour until 10 o'clock at night, and then every hour. through the evening. Now when these 24-hour blood pressure monitors take this sort of information, we get a beautiful graph or profile of the patient's blood pressure over the 24-hour period. Well, I had the chance with John to show him his, and what was striking about it was that at around about 7.30 in the morning, his blood pressure jumped up. And then later in the day, about 5.36, it noticeably came down. Importantly, during the evening and while he was asleep, his blood pressure was perfect. So I showed him this graph, and I think you could almost imagine it in your mind's eye. And I said to him, John, what happens at about 7.30 in the morning? And what happens at about 5.30 in the afternoon and evening? And he said, well, I arrive at work at about 7.30 and I leave. at about 5.30. And this was very, very clear. There was no doubt that this gentleman, as he went into work, his blood pressure went up, and when he left, it went down. I said to him, look, John, are you aware of any tension in your body, any sense that your blood pressure's up? Are you holding that tension while you're at work? And he admitted that he did, in particular. because he was the owner of the business where he worked, in particular when he was talking to staff and trying to give them instructions. Well, I invited him to bring some real mindfulness to this process because his getting tense and holding onto that energy himself wasn't actually changing the outcome at work. He'd already realised that, but it was detrimental to his own health. I sent him away with clear instructions to really work on bringing mindfulness to his engagement with his employees so that when he did speak with them he was really really aware if he was feeling that tension in his chest or in his body or if he thought that his blood pressure was going up. We repeated this 24-hour blood pressure monitor about Three to six months later, and lo and behold, by bringing some really focused mindfulness to his interactions with his staff, John was able to markedly change his blood pressure responses during the day and demonstrate that his blood pressure over the 24-hour period was good, not just at night while he was asleep, but also now during the day when he was at work. So this mindfulness is super important and stress really doesn't help. And running on those high levels of stress long term are detrimental. They do add up over time. Why don't you think about whether you could be at risk of holding on to more tension than you need to in some of your daily activities or if there are particular situations or circumstances that are probably winding you up more than is necessary. Look, check out some of the resources with this particular day. They are really valuable and hopefully they help you have the best possible heart health journey. Till tomorrow, take care. I wish you the very best and bye for now.

Please Note: Before embarking on the Younger Longer 28-Day Heart Health Challenge, it's essential to consult with your General Practitioner (GP) to ensure it's safe for you to participate, especially if you have existing health conditions or risk factors. Pre-exercise screening is recommended to identify any medical conditions that may increase the risk of adverse events during physical activity.