Your health is under your direct control. You do not have the right to blame your parents, grandparents, or any other people in your environment for the life choices you have made thus far, nor for the life choices you make right now. You do not need to take fancy drugs, if your blood pressure has gotten higher than it should be. And playing "the blame game" will do nothing but give you a good feeling that will not last very long - especially as the long term health detriments of high blood pressure take hold of you. Now is the time to take proactive steps to make yourself healthier, and live a longer and more productive life.

Smoking

Is there a reason why there are people who still smoke in the 21st century? There is hardly a person over the age of six in the developed world who does not know that smoking causes all manner of health problems. Emphysema, lung cancer, throat cancer and cardiovascular problems related to the chemicals in cigarettes are more than bad enough.

You do realize that if you smoke, it can cause your arteries to harden up, and you to die of heart failure, right? If you smoke, stop right now. Just stop - don't "try," just throw away your cigarettes, and tell all your smoker friends that you don't want any more. The smoker friends who follow suit will be the most likely ones to reach old age with you.

Drinking to excess

If you drink too much, you are basically poisoning yourself. Now, you don't have to teetotal, but getting drunk more than once every couple of weeks is where it begins to get excessive. Alcohol can damage your arteries, and actually thicken up your blood through dehydrating you.

Keeping your blood thin is a key ingredient to having moderate blood pressure. So while it may not be as fun, make sure your water intake at least equals your alcohol intake - and no, vodka does not count as "equal parts water and alcohol."

Too much salt in your diet. 
Everybody knows that French fries contain a large amount of salt. But not many people know that the average fast food hamburger has as much as 14 times the salt content as a regular order of fries contains. Often times, one hamburger has as much as half of the salt you are supposed to take in throughout a whole day!

While no sane person expects fast food to be especially healthy, you need to guard your salt content. The more salt you take in, the more salt will be in your blood. And obviously, salt is a great deal denser than the other components of your blood - which means it contributes to having high blood pressure. So cut down your salt intake.

Not being active

You need to exercise. It doesn't matter if you're already thin, and it doesn't matter if you feel fine. Your blood needs to move swiftly through your system, and your arteries need to be accustomed to it. Naturally, when your heart rate is elevated your blood pressure rises - but when it is just occasionally, your system adapts to that, and your blood pressure lowers when you are at rest.