Women’s History Month: A focus on women’s health
5 tips for busy women to take charge of their health
If you’re an American woman today,
chances are your busy lifestyle is preventing
you from seeking out the
regular check-ups and screenings
so important to maintaining your
health. And that’s true regardless of your
economic status or whether you live in a
rural, urban or suburban area.
So reports a recent HealthiHer survey
showing that only 66 percent of U.S.
women ages 30 to 60 feel “somewhat in
control” of their own health, although 83
percent are happily managing the health of
their families. The study, co-sponsored by
Redbook magazine, HealthyWomen and
GCI Health, found that a full 77 percent of
women in that age group say that their job
schedules prevent them from attending regular
check-ups.
“Women today wear many hats - they’re
wives, mothers, caregivers, employees,
business leaders and breadwinners, often
at the same time,” says Wendy Lund, CEO
of leading communications agency, GCI
Health. “Even when it feels like there are
not enough hours in the day, we somehow
manage to integrate everything in
our lives to ‘make it work’ and accomplish
insurmountable tasks. And this constant
juggling can come at the cost of our
own health.”
The good news? The survey also reveals
that 79 percent of respondents see positive
change as achievable. The HealthiHer
movement aims to give women the tools
they need to make such changes at home,
at work or in their communities. If you’re
among those struggling to take good care
of yourself because of other obligations,
consider how these suggestions might help.
• Truth: You can’t help others without
caring for yourself. Why do emergency
airline instructions tell you to
attach your own oxygen mask first?
Because you could otherwise pass out
before helping others. That same principle
applies to your general health; you
must maintain your own energy and
well-being so you can stay around to be
an effective mom, wife, daughter, sister
and/or friend.
• Take stress seriously. While not all stress
is bad, long-term unrelieved stress can
have major adverse effects on your
health, reducing the effectiveness of your
immune, digestive, sleep and reproductive
systems. Recognize the risks, plan
methods for fighting stress and carve
out time for exercise, sleep, meditation,
yoga and/or other remedies.
• Try online resources. An annual inperson
physical is always recommended,
but health issues in between checkups
can often be taken care of through
online sites that diagnose issues through
questionnaires or video chats - then
prescribe medicine or other therapies
without need of an office visit.
• Make exercise a no-brainer. As the
saying goes, sitting is the new smoking.
If you don’t make daily movement
of some sort a priority in your
life (doctors recommend at least 150
minutes of brisk exercise per week)
you’re putting your physical and
emotional health at substantial risk.
Among other benefits, exercise can
help prevent diabetes and heart disease
while reducing stress, back pain,
arthritis, asthma and other common
ailments.
• Set health care appointments well
ahead. To secure the slots that work
best with your schedule, call or go
online way ahead of time so you have
a wider range of options. Some clinics
now offer evening or weekend
hours to help those with demanding
daytime jobs or roles. Planning
ahead, and writing each appointment
in ink on your family calendar, helps
ensure you’ll make your own care a
priority even if your schedule ramps
up.
“It isn’t selfish to put ourselves first, but
in all honesty, we know that will never
happen, our kids will always come first,”
says HealthyWomen CEO Beth Battaglino.
“However, can we shoot for second? This
is an investment in both our health and
the health of our families. Women who
don’t take care of themselves are not going
to be around or it will affect their ability
to care for their loved ones, and this survey
revealed that those who don’t make
time to get their health screenings, like
mammograms, pap tests, eye exams,
blood pressure, etc., actually had more
health concerns.”
More women’s health tips related to
the HealthiHer Movement can be found
at HealthyWomen.org or Facebook.
Participate in the movement by posting a
photo on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
depicting you taking charge of your health
(Use the hashtag #BeHealthiHer).
— Courtesy BPT
16 March 10, 2022 Schneps Media
/HealthyWomen.org
