A working woman is surrounded by a host of commitments and responsibilities. Family, children, cleaning cooking, office, career, and other social obligations – the job list seems to be endless.
There is hardly any time left to spare or to look after herself or her body. In most of the times, modern women are found to be pushing themselves against the clock and tirelessly working to meet the given timelines. If you too follow such a busy schedule, you will invariably end up neglecting your health.
According to recent studies, it is highlighted that:
- 70% of women ignore and neglect issues with their health
- 40% of women ignore specialized care when they are detected with serious ailments and
- More than 90% of women stay away from medication or any tertiary care.
It is high time that you follow the meaning of life and leading a healthy lifestyle. It is necessary that you know your worth and stands up for you. You can achieve this by making a few simple changes in your lifestyle. This will surely help you to adopt and lead a healthy life as well as prevent major diseases.
Few significant recommendations
These recommendations are typically for those women who have a family history of major illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, cancer, hypertension, and kidney failure to name just a few.
- Opt for healthy food: You should eat healthily and keep a balance with the necessary meal prep that is your favorite. While doing this, make sure that you eat in moderation and include everything from proteins to healthy fats and from smart carbohydrates to fiber. Stop dieting immediately and certainly do not skip meals. This will make it difficult for you to accomplish the nutritional requirements of your body and sustain a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly: Not only men, but women are also required to exercise on a regular basis doing a mix of cardio sessions, weight-bearing exercises, yoga classes, and aerobics at least three to five times a week. This will help you to prevent diseases, keep you fit and active. Moreover, exercises also promote good self-image and confidence which is not only important for your lifestyle but also for your mental health.
- Get more sleep: If you want to stay happy and lead a good life you will need to have an adequate and sound sleep. If you get tired very easily or find it extremely difficult to get out of bed and cannot concentrate on your work, blame yourself for not sleeping as much as your body requires. Lack of sleep can put you at greater risk of psychological problems and heart diseases. Therefore, make it a point that you sleep more.
- Plan your pregnancies: Pregnancy can take a heavy toll on you and therefore you should never get pregnant when you are not ready. Birth control will also help you to reduce the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer. In addition to that, it will also regulate your cycle.
- Start intake of calcium: This is one thing that most women ignore. Do not stop taking calcium and if you have, start it today before it is too late. Add a few specific calcium-rich foods in your diet that are good for your health.
- Schedule a doctor’s visit: Never ignore or delay visiting a doctor and always undergo a yearly preventive health check-up. If you are 21 years or older, make sure that you get a Pap test done every 3 years to check for cervical cancer. If you are between 30 and 65 years of age, you should get both the Pap test and HPV test done after every 5 years. Scheduled yearly check-ups and doctor visits will help you to know about several other medical issues such as infections.
- Consider family history: If your family has a history of any chronic disease you must also opt for specialized tests. Nowadays, you can get genetic testing done so that the doctor comes to know about any chances of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, or any other chronic diseases and assess the risk and consider the necessary preventive measures to take.
According to a new study from Northwestern University it is found that it is never too late to make any changes in your lifestyle habits. This study shows the ways in which you can reduce the risk of developing heart disease with some simple lifestyle choices. These steps will prevent and even reverse the progress of any coronary artery disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States.
The facts to know
The good news of the study is that making lifestyle changes in the 30s or 40s can add years to your life by reducing the risk of heart diseases, provided you stick to it.
The bad news is that it is found that developing more unhealthy habits is a common thing when people older. This may have a significantly detrimental impact on coronary arteries.
However, the study shows that every increase in maintaining a healthy lifestyle will reduce the odds of detectable coronary artery calcification. It will also lower the chances of intima-media thickness. These are both indicators of cardiovascular disease that may increase the potential risk of having a heart attack.
Changes that prolongs the life
There are five specific lifestyle choices to make that will help you to live longer. These are:
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Not smoking
- Engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity every day for at least 30 minutes
- Consuming no more than one alcoholic drink in a day
- Eating a healthy diet with less or no processed foods that include high fiber, low sodium, and lots of fruits and vegetables.
However, you can choose any other way to change your lifestyle but make sure that you do not choose just the way you choose your dress or your bra referring to the bra size chart us. In case of any doubt, consult a professional dietician so that no essential nutrients are left out of your diet.
