National Women's Health Week

May 12-18 is National Women's Health Week, and I don't need to cite the statistics re: heart disease, various cancers, obesity, diabetes, and the other health epidemics that face women today. Women who are overworked, overstressed, under-rested, and who maybe aren't as well nourished as they should be or could be. Instead, I'm going to ask one question:

What are you going to do about your health this week?

Some suggestions:

• Stop focusing on the number on the scale and focus instead on what you're putting into your body to fuel it.
• Eat one piece of fruit a day.
• Try to incorporate a vegetable into your breakfast three times this week. Spinach quiche, anyone? Tomato and eggs? (Okay, I know it's a fruit, but it counts here in the Mossy Nest as a veg.)
• Take a fitness walk. Not a stroll; a walk that increases your heart rate and gets you sweating a little. It doesn't have to be far (even around the block is a great accomplishment if you're a couch potato) and it shouldn't be long if you've not exercised before (5 minutes, that's it, just 5 minutes), but it does have to be at a faster-than-normal pace.
• Remind yourself that you are the only person watching out for you, and you are worth it.
• If you haven't seen your doctor in a while, make an appointment for a physical.
• If you've been avoiding your mammogram, make that appointment.
• If you haven't seen your dentist, make that appointment.
• If you haven't seen your gynecologist, yea, make that appointment.
• Try a relaxation technique twice this week. Acupuncture, massage, meditation, mindful breathing--let's kick stress in the butt,
• Sit outside for lunch and just breathe in the fresh air. Don't think about work, kids, family, anything--just breathe.
• Skip the soda and drink cold water instead.

Today, I made a mango smoothie for breakfast, walked both dogs at a fast pace for 0.75 miles (Pipsqueak is too young to walk farther, but with both pulling, it's almost a weight and cardio workout; besides, DoodleBug and I got a jump start on National Women's Health Week by walking a fast 2.5 miles Friday and Saturday.), and will have a salmon burger (minus the bread) on polenta and spinach for dinner.

So, c'mon, gals, we need to set aside time to take care of ourselves. Little steps add up to big changes!