Is it just me, or has this week flown by? I am definitely ready for the weekend, so I’m happy that the week has gone by fast (especially with working on our little bedtime issue). I’m looking forward to a fun-filled weekend of having some girl time with my mom and then family time with Keenan and my husband on Mother’s Day.
Speaking of Mother’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to focus this week’s’ Thursday Tidbits on National Women’s Health Week, since it starts on Sunday and runs through May 18th. If you are new here, Thursday Tidbits is a weekly post featuring anything health, fitness or wellness related. If there is a topic you would like to see, let me know!
National Women’s Health Week is sponsored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Women’s Health. The observance’s focus is to empower women to make their health a priority. As women and moms, we tend to take care of everyone else, neglecting ourselves. The initiative promotes making small changes to improve physical and mental health, thus living a healthier, happier and more fulfilling life while decreasing risks for certain diseases.
Below are the initiatives’ steps for improving your life:
1. Be active: Aim to do some sort of physical activity everyday, or at least 3-4 days a week. Even going for a 20-30 minute walk after dinner or walking your kids to the park counts! The more activity (no matter what kind), the better!
2. Eat healthy foods: Consume whole foods (fresh produce, lean meats, whole grains, nuts, healthy fats) as much possible and shop the perimeter of the grocery store, so you are not tempted to buy processed ones.
3. Get enough sleep: This is a big one for me! I always have the best intentions of going to bed early or on time, but it rarely happens. Sleep is so vital to managing stress, weight and overall mental health, so my goal for this month is to go to bed early or on time at least 3 days a week.
4. Avoid unhealthy behaviors: Smoking, texting while driving or not wearing your seat belt.
5. Preventative Screenings: Make sure to schedule regular check-ups and preventive exams, such as mammograms and annual well women’s visits.
6. Manage Stress: Find ways that help you manage and/or reduce your stress such as working out, taking yoga, tai chi, or even guided imagery. Managing stress is so important, because it can affect so many aspects of our lives from maintaining weight, getting adequate sleep, staying healthy and keeping our mental health in a good state.
If you or someone you know could use a little reminder about the importance of making your health a priority, now is the time. Without taking care of ourselves, how can we take good care of others, in addition to being a positive healthy role model for our children? Studies have shown that when women take care of themselves, their family’s health improves. With that being said, who wouldn’t want to take care of themselves?
In case you missed it yesterday, here is a new home workout to try, CrossFit Home or Travel WOD #9. If you do it, let me know how it goes!
Well, that’s it for today. It’s time to start my most favorite thing to do (not really!)…clean house, but at least I have my hand dandy “cleaning assistant!” Have a good one!
“Mr. Cool!” After wearing his sunglasses while playing outside, he refused to take the off when we got inside!
Questions:
Do you have any fun pans for Mother’s Day?
How much sleep do you typically get each night?
How do you manage your stress?
Oh Kennan, you are way too cool! =) Ha Ha! Have fun (… well try) cleaning!
To answer your questions:
I get around 6-8 hrs of sleep per night, however I do wake up multiple times to use the restroom or just because Joshua is snoring away, Ha!
To manage stress I talk to Joshua, and somehow he always knows just what to say.
*Happy Early Mother’s Day, darling!*
Keenan was so silly with his sunglasses that day! He thought he was SO cool!
That is great that talking to Joshua helps you manage stress. I do the same with my husband and he always seems to make me feel better!
I shoot for 8 hours a night. But I’m good with somewhere between 7 and 8. For Mother’s Day, I’m hosting a big family dinner for my Mom and sister. Should be fun!
Nice! What did you make for your family dinner?
Great tips! I typically get around 8 hours of sleep. Sometimes a little more or less but function best on 8 🙂 Otherwise there is a lot more coffee consumed!
I agree with you about the coffee thing! If I don’t get enough sleep, all I can think of is coffee! 🙂
Great assistant! I just scheduled some of my regular checkups today. Still have one more to do then I’ll be totally done with the screenings.
On Saturday I’m going to get my granddaughters after I’m done with all my clients at the studio. Not sure if they’ll spend the night yet but that’s what I wanted for Mother’s Day.
I always get 7-8 hours of sleep. As much as I love working out I have to get my zz’s and will choose sleep over a workout.
I’ve noticed that since I cut out caffeine and sugar this week my stress level has decreased significantly. So right now that’s my big plan. Keep those out of my diet.
I hope you had a nice Mother’s Day! What did you and your granddaughters do?
I’ve been trying to get to bed early, which I’m hoping to do tonight, tomorrow and Thursday. I am hoping to get at least three days a week of 8 hours of sleep and then increase it by an additional day and so on. So, we’ll see. I agree with you, I’d rather get my sleep than get up early to workout! It’s funny, I would have never said that before I had Keenan!