In the health world – This week is Women’s Health Week.
Women’s health is a special area of interest for me (amongst other areas). My honours project looked at women who were 18 months postpartum, and explored their dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, as well as waist circumference and postpartum weight retention. This opened up my world to research and also the special area of women’s health and women during pregnancy.
I completed my final masters placement at Mercy Health, and it was the most amazing experience being able to work with women undergoing gynaecological surgeries, cancer treatments, and going through pregnancy. Women are amazing creatures that are strong and able!
This week is dedicated to encourage women to make their health a priority. Many people know that our mums, grandmothers, sisters and friends can be some of the most selfless people, putting their families and others before themselves, but you can’t pour from an empty glass.
We need to make sure we are full (or at least half full); mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually before we can give to others!
Each day of this week is dedicated to a different area of women’s health, celebrating the beautiful women in our lives, and encouraging them to take control of each area of their health.
Monday was about promoting movement, and to encourage women to move their bodies in fun and exciting ways. Women can often feel self conscious about exercise, especially as they age, so this day promotes feeling good, and taking control of your own physical health by doing your best! The recommendation for physical activity is 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity in a week. This is made more achievable if you are able to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, such as walking. Walking is one of the most common activities for women postpartum, and is an activity you can enjoy at any age – so go on and pull your mum or your sister out for a walk!
This is a great reminder for me to get my body moving, as I am in a fairly sedentary job at the moment, and I have always been very self conscious of doing exercise, as I was never a sporty child. I had no hand eye coordination and I would pray for people not to throw the ball my way in team sports. It wasn’t until I reached my late years of high school, that I began to enjoy physical activity (there is a massive back story to this that I will cover another day).
Tuesday and Wednesday begin to touch on some of the more uncomfortable, albeit necessary topics.
Tuesday is all about promoting good bladder, gut and bowel health, and Wednesday covers reproductive health.
This can be an uncomfortable topic for women, as many experience some degree of urinary incontinence or bladder leakage postpartum (and then some!), and changes in bowel habits during the lifespan.
Changes in bowel habits are important to take note of, as they could be a sign of a lack of fibre in the diet, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or even a gynaecological issue. The location of all these parts are quite close, so I am sure you ladies may have noticed the way one can affect the other! It is also important to keep track of your bowel habits if you notice any more concerning changes, so these can be discussed with your health professionals (GP, gastroenterologist, gynaecologist etc).
I have noticed a change to my own habits in the past two years. My self diagnosis and explanation for this, is that a continuous 9 months on antibiotics before having my tonsils removed, wiped out all my gut flora two years ago. I will take a moment to say this is a PSA encouraging people not to self diagnose, and ACTUALLY address any problems with the appropriate health professional. This is something I will be working towards finding some answers to by seeing a GP and hopefully a gastroenterologist.
Thursday’s theme is centred around heart and breast health. For women over 50 this means getting a mammogram every two years, and for those younger than 50 – it is a time to make sure you have a good idea of how your girls feel, and if there are any changes or things that worry you. Trust yourself, and your body. Fight for yourself – don’t let anyone make you feel silly for “overreacting”.
One of my mum’s close friends when I was growing up, worked as a breast care nurse, so I have had it drummed into me to be vigilant with breast checks and being up to date with pap smears.
I am a very shy person, who is not at all comfortable with showing off my body, so writing this I absolutely understand every reservation anyone would have but (luckily for many) it is a few minutes of being uncomfortable for a lot of peace of mind.
Speaking of the mind – Fridays theme is around keeping on top of things mentally, and dedicating time to our mental health. This is an area of our health we often forget to put quality time into, or push aside. As I touched on earlier, we cannot pour from an empty glass. Part of having good mental health is having a good support system! Find people that lift you up.
Having a diet that is balanced and varied can also contribute to a positive mindset. Eat your five serves of vegetables, your two serves of fruit, wholegrains and your oily fish! You should also enjoy that coffee and cake with your mum, that bar of chocolate you shared with your best friend over a movie, and that bag of lollies you demolished with your sister when you were laughing so hard you cried. These are good for your SOUL – Don’t forget those simple beautiful moments, and don’t let them pass you by!
If you would like to have more of a detailed read of each days focus or you would like to learn a bit more along the way, check out the link below!
https://www.womenshealthweek.com.au/the-week/
Until next time,
Big Sis x
