To celebrate Women's History Month, we want to help current and future women trailblazers and pioneers focus on a few of the most important things to promote good health and longevity. As my son's basketball coach says, "your best ability is availability". Increase your chances for a full and high quality life by practicing all the below.
Build Strength - As we age we lose muscle tissue faster, so it's important to pay attention to it and incorporate strength training into your fitness regimen. Muscles support your joints and provide stability for your body. Join a Total Body Strength group class. Incorporating strength training has numerous health benefits:
Improved muscle strength and tone – to protect your joints from injury.
Maintaining flexibility and balance, which can help you remain independent as you age.
Weight management and increased muscle-to-fat ratio – as you gain muscle, your body burns more kilojoules when at rest.
Greater stamina – as you grow stronger, you won’t get tired as easily.
Decreased risk of injury.
Increased bone density and strength and reduced risk of osteoporosis.
Improved sense of wellbeing – resistance training may boost your self-confidence, and improve your body image and your mood.
Get scanned - As women, it's very important to track your bone mineral density, especially for osteoporosis, and also measure your visceral fat, which is the fat in between your organs. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use in 1988. There are various providers now and was even recently highlighted in the Netflix Series "You are What You Eat". We recommend either BodySpec or Dexa Fit.
Reduce stress - This may seem easier said than done, but you can add more leisure activities to reduce stress! Couple this with the athleisure trend and you can look good while feeling good! As a woman and/or a mother, there are endless things to do, long to do lists and many household tasks. Sometimes it's easy to forget what life was like before kids. Free time was really yours. So pick a passion or something that brings you joy and make time for it. Even if it's just listening to some favorite songs from your younger years on the drive to pick up your kids from school. Let loose once in a while - go dancing, walk outside, take interesting photos, or go for a walk on your own.
Don't put up with pain - After carrying a child, nursing, raising children, or just working in the modern age, you may think that chronic pain is a natural part of the aging process. I'm here to tell you it isn't. Whether it's in your back, shoulder or neck, surgery or a medical intervention isn't the only way out. Modern life has added more stress to our lives and we have not taken sufficient time to recover from it. We also don't acknowledge what that has done to our bodies over time. If you have pain that is unexplained and not from a specific injury, find a wellness practitioner to determine the root cause of your pain to help you get your stability, mobility, and strength back. Learn more about myofascial release (MFR) therapy or give it a try. You may also want to read more about your pelvic floor from Dr. Nicole Cozean PT, DPT, WCS or take a free pelvic floor education series by Dr. Sarah Ellis Duvall, PT, DPT, CPT, CNC. Your whole body is interconnected, so where you're currently experiencing pain may not be where it started. Life is too short and you have so much more to enjoy in life without chronic pain stopping you from living your life to the fullest.
Eat your way to good health - Eat more whole foods, read labels, eat less sugar, sit down without a screen and eat your meal. Don't drink your calories. Your body is your temple, so nourish it with nothing but the best. You'll digest better, feel better, your skin will improve and you'll have more energy. Check out ways to jumpstart healthy eating as a family.
Create a regular sleep routine - No Netflix show or glass of wine before bed is worth missing out on all the magical benefits of great sleep. Did you know that sleep helps us consolidate our memories so they get organized and get stored in long term memory? Getting more sleep can improve your memory! Not to mention improve your digestion. If you have trouble going to sleep, try a guided meditation to unwind and try to be off your devices atleast 30-60 minutes before going to bed.
Get off social media - This one may at first seem tough to cut off cold turkey, but atleast try to reduce it. You may find some interesting content on TikTok or Instagram for workouts, crafts, or recipes, but it becomes a slippery slope because 10 minutes can turn to 30 min and then before you know it, you've been on it for over 2 hours! Don't have Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) by scrolling through and seeing the fabulous life of others around you. Atleast be purposeful about your social media usage and remember that it helps you minimize distractions in your life. Spend more time living life than browsing and liking what other people are up to. It's a time killer. Plus you'll feel better about yourself and your kids won't see you scrolling so much on your phone.
Nurture relationships worth nurturing - It may be true that "you are what you eat", but I'd also say "you are the company you keep". Prioritize the relationships and friendships that truly nurture you, help you, constructively challenge you and inspire you. Let go of those relationships that drain you, add unnecessary stress in your life, or are regularly negative. It may be hard to cut those ties, especially if it's with family members or childhood friends, but in order to ensure good health and longevity, your time is your most precious resource, so for the relationships you get to choose who you spend your time with, make them ones that will lift you up!
We wish all the incredible women out there good health and longevity and if we can help you and your kids on your wellness journey, try us out! Check out our latest app on iOS or Android. Be Well!
