WOMEN’S HEALTH by Ms. Angel Marlow
W
ithout health, what do we have? The average woman has so much going on in her life on a day to day basis. I know, I work a demanding work week, shuffle kids from school to practice, take care of my personal relationships and make sure dinner is on time. A woman is relied on because she is intelligent, dependable and responsible. Isn’t it only right that she put herself first to make sure she can keep up with her heavy demand? Absolutely! A healthy lifestyle is the first step in implementing a healthy life. We all
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know that physical health is important, but I believe not many of us take our mental health into account as much as we should. According to the National Institute for Mental Health more women are affected by depression then men. A healthy body isn’t complete without a healthy mind. By taking the time to assess our mood and energy we begin to connect with ourselves. This allows us to notice when our mental state is not at its peak, teaches us to be conscious of the stresses in our life and things that make us anxious. Some potential modalities to help us are yoga, breathing
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techniques, or meditation. With practice and guidance from a trained professional we can help our mind return to a healthy mental state. We can get so caught up in our lives and sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. Ladies, assess yourself regularly and keep tabs on your health not just for the people you love but for you as well! Internal health is so important for everyone. Women’s internal layout is quite different from men and our bodies are designed to do some pretty amazing things. Our bodies, with aid, produce life and help provide nutrients to that life once born. Our breasts are a very important part of the body. About 1 in 8 women will develop cancer. This statistic is scary and is why doing self-breast checks and visiting your doctor on a regular basis is so important. Staying in tune with your body helps identify any abnormalities. A woman’s breasts will go through many stages during her lifetime. As you progress through life, you may notice your breasts start to change, most of these changes will be healthy and normal. For example, when we begin to approach menopause, the breasts start to feel tender and lumpier than they did before. This change tends to be normal for most women. A major part of why we can do everything that we do is because of the cardiovascular system. This system is made up of the heart. The heart pumps blood throughout our body, to our lungs, the arteries, and the veins. It is an important system in the body. We should treat this system like gold as it provides us with life. In the U.S. 1 in 4 women will die from heart disease. In fact, coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death of both men and women in the U.S. However, we should note the symptoms of CHD can be controlled. Making healthy lifestyle changes, exercising, medicines, and different health procedures can lower a woman’s risk of CHD. It’s important to monitor our heart health many women go undiagnosed with issues. Nutrition and digestion: What we put into our bodies lays the foundation for how our bodies will respond to everyday life. We have all heard, “you are what you eat.” Think about it. If you feed your body processed foods high
