Healthy You: National Women’s Health Week

National Women’s Health Week

Kicking off with celebrating mom on Mother’s Day, the week of May 14-20 is National Women’s Health, led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. This week is observed as a time to empower women to make their health a top priority, and to encourage women to take the proper steps to improve their health.

As a woman, what can you do for better health?

• Visit a doctor or nurse for a well-woman visit (checkup) and  preventive screenings. This is the time to see your doctor and have necessary screenings, but also take this time to discuss any issues such as depression or anxiety. Your doctor can work with you to set healthy life goals and healthy weight goals.  
• Get active. Research shows that an active lifestyle can lower your risk of many, sometimes fatal, problems such as heart disease, breast cancer, high blood pressure and depression. Regular activity can also prevent an unhealthy weight gain, lower the risk of lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and increase bone density.
• Eat healthy.   Eating healthy isn’t hard and can help to prevent heart disease, stroke, and other diseases.  Heart disease is the number one killer and stroke is the number 4 killer of American women today. A healthy diet should consist mainly of:

• Fruits and vegetables.
• Grains – with at least half being whole grains, such as whole-wheat, oatmeal, and brown rice.
• Fat-free or low-fat versions of milk, cheese, yogurt, and other milk products.
• Fish, skinless poultry, lean red meats, dry beans, and eggs.
• Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, avocados, and most nuts.

To maintain a healthy diet, avoid foods that contain or are high in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars.

• Pay attention to your mental health. Having a positive mental health is equally as important as your physical health. Nearly one in five U.S. adults are affected each year by anxiety, and women are more than twice as likely as men to have an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Women are also almost twice as likely as men to experience depression. Reducing stress, maintaining a healthy diet, and an active lifestyle can reduce anxiety and depression. Talking to your doctor is important if you feel that you are depressed or experiencing anxiety.
• Engage in safe behaviors. Wearing your seat belt, avoid phone/text conversations and driving, and not smoking are all positive behaviors that can make a difference in your health. Smoking causes 80% of lung cancer deaths among women. If you need additional help with smoking cessation, talk to your doctor.

Take the necessary steps to take care of YOU and empower the women around you to do the same.  Maintaining a healthy physical and mental health and is important.  Remember you are never alone.  If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, Magnolia Creek can offer support services. For more information or to answer questions, please contact our admissions team at 205-235-6989.