I recently had my blood pressure checked and I forget exactly, but it was about 143/68 with a pulse of 55. I've read that this combination of high systolic and low diastolic is particularly bad, but I don't know why. I'm 26 years old and the perfect weight for my size. I haven't checked my blood pressure in almost a year, but I've never had a high reading before. Is this something I should be overly concerned about? I don't have health insurance, nor will I for some time. Is there anything in particular that I should be doing to bring down my systolic pressure only? Should I worry about the diastolic pressure, or just follow the normal recommendations for lowering BP. My diet has not been too good for the past year, and I haven't been getting much cardiovascular exercise. I've just recently improved my diet, started exercising again, and running 6 miles per week.