Top Three Tips for Women’s Health Week

National Women’s Health Week kicks off on Mother’s Day, May 8, 2016. It is a time for women to focus on taking control of their health and establishing good habits to maintain throughout the year. Here are our top three tips for what you can do for your health during Women’s Health Week.

Commit to Making Your Health a Priority

Women have a tendency to put their health and their needs on the backburner. Yes, you’re busy. Yes, everybody else needs something all the time. But, if you don’t take care of your own health now, you will eventually fail at taking care of everyone else.

Whenever you start to blow off your health because there is something more important to do, think “oxygen mask”! You know, on airplanes they always tell you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first or you might pass out before you can help your child. Well, that concept applies to your daily health, too. If you go down, the whole ship goes down with you.

Check with Your Insurance for Freebies

Money, on the other hand, can be a very real obstacle no matter how willing you are to take care of yourself. Since the Affordable Care Act went into effect a lot has changed with insurance coverage. Many women can now get preventative services and screenings for free under their insurance. Early detection is the key to surviving cancer and many other health conditions.

Check with your insurance company to find out what services you are eligible for now. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Eat Well, Move Around, and De-Stress

There’s a reason you’ve heard it all a thousand times. The most basic thing you can do to stay healthy is maintain a healthy lifestyle. That starts with eating food that’s good for you. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just go for real foods, instead of the processed stuff.

Move your body every day in a way that you enjoy and that works for you. No time to work out because of the kids or the dog? Get your workout playing with them for a few minutes or an hour each day.

Find your way to de-stress. Hate meditating? Try headphones with your favorite music in the dark for 10 minutes instead. Wear a sleep mask for this if you have to. If that’s not your cup of tea, try free writing.

Take some time this week to decide what you will do for your health or for the health of the women in your life.