Super Bowl quarterback Joe Montana fights back against high blood pressure

Joe Montana is arguably the best quarterback to ever throw a spiral.

In college, Montana led Notre Dame to a national championship for the 1977 season. At the end of the next season, Montana, who was sick with the flu and only got back out onto the field after gulping some chicken soup, led a stunning fourth-quarter comeback from 22 points down against the University of Houston.

Games like that made Montana renowned for his ability to lead a team back from adversity. In his NFL career he led his team to 31 fourth-quarter comeback wins. The crowning achievement of his Hall of Fame NFL career is winning four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. He retired in 1994.

Ironically, Montana, who was known for his calm on the football field, was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2002. He's not alone. About 72 million Americans are said to suffer from high blood pressure, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Montana talked with GeezerJock about his own battle with hypertension and the role that exercise played in reducing his blood pressure to normal levels.

GeezerJock: When you first got the high blood pressure diagnosis, was that a surprise?
Joe Montana: Oh yeah. I had no symptoms, which is typical of high blood pressure. I went in for my yearly physical, which my wife really suggested I start since I turned 40. I had no idea. It was so elevated at that point that my doctor sent me to the cardiologist the same day. [The cardiologist] did some testing, found a small blockage (in my heart) that was just beginning that they wanted to keep an eye on. Nothing serious at this point. Then I went through what we talk about in the BP Success Zone program (at bpsuccesszone.com). And that is looking at lifestyle issues. I was eating typically American, which is food is good, and it's better if it's more. Also, my exercise was down to almost nothing. So I started eating healthy, eating less, and getting rid of the salt shaker, because I salted my food all the time. And exercising. I was looking for a daily routine again. But those didn't help enough to get my blood pressure under control, so I started off using medication prescribed by my doctor.

What is the medication?
The one I'm taking now is Lotrel, which is a combination of two medicines in one capsule. The first one didn't work, and it gave me some swelling in my hands and feet. So she put me on this medication. That, accompanied with the lifestyle changes, have gotten me under 120/80 (normal blood pressure).

How long did it take to get your blood pressure under control?
It took a few months, because they gave me a little bit of time to see what diet and exercise could do. But that just wasn't enough at that point.

Can you talk more about the changes in diet?
I cut out the salt, and we eat pretty fresh at home. A lot of salt is in processed foods, and we don't eat any processed foods. That wasn't that difficult. Really, I just cut back on portion sizes. I think if you told me I couldn't have anything for a long period of time, I'd never make it. So instead of the 22-ounce Porterhouse I'd have the 6-ounce filet. Once you start making those kinds of changes and you realize that when you say, 'You know, I feel like having a steak tonight,' you have to say to yourself, 'I'm not really at a steak restaurant, so I'll save that for (another time).'

How often are you exercising now?
Right now I aim for seven days. When I'm on the road, I probably get more like five. I try for 45 minutes of cardio a day. I'm kind of limited to low impact and no-impact kind of stuff, the StairMaster kind of stuff. I have a knee that's bone to bone that I can't really do a lot with. I do a little weight lifting four days a week, and that's about it. I'm doing a program where you don't use a lot of weights. It's more pull-ups, sit-ups, push-ups, lunges.

What scared you the most about the hypertension diagnosis?
It didn't scare me at first. But once I found out the consequences, that's what scared me more than anything, finding out what it led to. At the point when I was told, I thought, 'How bad can it be?' I don't feel any pain, I don't feel bad, I don't feel sick. But when they told me it's heart attack, stroke, that was enough.

Why is it important to you to get this message out?
I think when you look at how many American adults are affected by it and the fact that we're not looking for a cure, we have the means to help people right now, we just have to get people to understand the importance of their blood pressure and getting it checked.