National Women's Health Week
posted by K.C. Kidd on Friday, May 12, 2023
Sunday celebrates Mother’s Day; however, it also is the first day of National Women’s Health Week, a time for all women to reflect on their individual health needs and ways to improve their overall mental and physical health.
Here are a few ideas for enhancing your mental and physical health:
Schedule your Annual Physical with a care provider and complete preventative care such as PAP smears, mammograms, bone density screenings, cholesterol and other blood screenings, and physical exams.
Stay active. Create a weekly activity plan that will get your heart beating fast and incorporate some muscle-strengthening activity. Doing activities around your house counts; you do not have to go to a gym to stay active as gardening and cleaning can count as physical activity.
Eating a well-balanced diet. Choosing to eat whole foods instead of processed foods is a way to deliver necessary nutrients to your body. For further guidance for at home or restaurant nutrition, this website provides great tips: www.nutrition.gov
Practice good sleep habits. Develop a routine for going to sleep and also for waking up at the same time each night and day. Continue that routine even on weekends and try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
Create healthy ways to manage stress. One way to avoid being overwhelmed is to break large tasks down into simpler tasks that are easier to handle on a daily basis. Schedule time to unwind, our schedules are so busy taking care of everyone else’s needs, so make sure to carve out some time for yourself. Stay connected to friends and family and ask for help if needed.
Turn off the social media. We are so over-stimulated with news, social media, and family and friends’ online activities. Make time out of your day, along with family members, to put all devices away and plug back into each other’s needs.
Incorporate healthy behaviors into daily living. Quit smoking or vaping, decrease or eliminate alcohol intake and avoid all illicit drugs.
As Women’s Health Coordinator at Spencer Hospital, I’d like to end by repeating my first bullet point – schedule your routine health check-ups. Early detection of a health concern can increase the chance of successful treatment.
Please share this information with friends and family to help them continue to take care of their health needs or seek assistance if they are needing it.
*Information provided, in part, from www.womenshealth.gov
- women's health