Women's Health Week—Taking Care of You

Putting yourself last is easy to do: the laundry needs folding; your assignments are on deadline; a family member needs help moving; and you just found out the baseball team is having a bake sale. Sound familiar?

As women, you may be accustomed to doing it all, but the price of perfection is prohibitive. When you're so focused on taking care of others, who's taking care of you?

This week HealthyWomen will focus on the important task of making time for yourself—an ongoing objective of our organization and the theme of National Women's Health Week.

Because of our inherent desire to take care of others, it's natural that we sometimes push our needs down the to-do list. And, sooner or later, we may suffer physical, mental or spiritual collapse. So how can you get a handle on juggling it all? By doing just that.

Life can be a three-ring circus at times with many balls in the air and not enough hands. You need to keep an eye on all of them to make sure nothing gets dropped. By keeping yourself in the balance of the act, you'll be able to keep things going smoothly, one performance at a time. Take yourself out of the equation and everything falls flat.

Take care of yourself this week by starting three simple steps on the road to stability. Believe me—you'll thank yourself one day!

• Physical: Schedule your checkups and think about the last time you had important health screenings. Often we find it difficult to justify a vacation day or hiring a babysitter for something as mundane as a doctor's visit. But think about the alternative: Can you afford to leave your job on disability if something goes untreated? How much would it cost in babysitting if you required regular medical care for something that could have been prevented?
• Mental: If you aren't doing so already, start taking an omega-3 supplement. According to a recent HealthyWomen poll, 41 percent of responders are missing out on the joint, heart and, yes, brain-boosting benefits of the essential fatty acid found in salmon, walnuts and flaxseed oil. Research shows omega-3s may have potential health benefits to stave off such mental disorders as depression and dementia. Add a little Sudoku puzzle on the side and you can't go wrong! Read more:Foods Rich in Antioxidants for Healthy Aging
  
  
• Spirit: Not enough can be said about the power of thinking positively for good health. Beyond channeling your inner Polyanna, some women find gratitude jounals to be a rewarding way to keep stressors in perspective. How about meditation? You don't have to chant "om" to reap the benefits of sitting quietly and thinking introspectively. Check out these articles:

Change Your Outlook, Change Your Life
Meditation's Health Benefits

Enjoy your week, and now go take care of you!

In good health,
Beth Battaglino