Women’s Health

It is not always easy to maintain a perfect balance in your life. Getting the right amount of exercise, eating the right foods and avoiding the things you like but shouldn’t have can be challenging. As a woman juggling family and career, maintaining the balance may be difficult. Your own health and well being often comes second to the demands of your life.

For modern women, lifestyle factors are a major contributor to decreasing health. Illnesses such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, anxiety and depression are common and can all be linked to poor lifestyle choices. Stress is also a leading cause of health and well being issues for women. Greater demands in terms of family and career are a factor in high levels of stress. Stress can cause the onset of depression and anxiety disorders.

For women as they age menopause becomes a major factor in well being and can have adverse effects on health. During menopause physical and emotion symptoms can range from hot flushes to black outs to severe mood alteration. After menopause women are at higher risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. Women also report higher rates of depression, mood alteration and anxiety after menopause.

Woman who experience the symptoms related to menopause may benefit from a nutritional supplement, like USANA’s Phytelle. Many of the common illnesses that effect women can be prevented through healthy lifestyle, good nutritional intake, supplementing diet with essential vitamins and regular exercise.

The key to long term health and well being is in what you do on a daily basis:

Staying fit – regular exercise is fundamental for keeping your body balanced and your mind relaxed. Exercise not only helps to manage weight and increases energy levels; it is also a great stress reliever. The lower your stress levels the less likely you are to suffer from stress related heart problems and anxiety disorders.

If you are struggling to get started try to fit in two half hour sessions per week and build from there. If you can build up to exercise for an hour 3 times a week your body will thank you for it. You don’t have to be an iron woman to benefit from exercise, do what you enjoy. Walking, jogging, swimming, team sports, yoga and pilates are all great ways to stay fit.

Eating well – getting the right balance of fruit and vegetables, at least 5 a day is essential to maintaining a healthy diet. Fruits and vegetables give you essential nutrients and strengthen your immune system. Low GI foods are best for sustainable energy, weight control and managing your body’s insulin levels. A diet rich with low GI foods helps prevent heart disease and diabetes.

If you are not sure that you are getting enough from your diet try keeping a diet journal for a week. Record everything you eat and drink, from this you will be able to see what you’re missing, what you might be over indulging in and where your weaknesses or deficiencies are.

Supplements – sometimes you just can’t get enough, from your diet that is. Supplements are a great way to boost your dietary intake and strengthen your body’s systems against illness. Supplements can be helpful in areas that your diet lacks and at certain times when your body might be more susceptible to deficiencies like during menopause. If you are not sure what kind of supplements you might benefit from visit USANA Health Sciences.

Some illnesses cannot be avoided, however having a healthy lifestyle goes a long way to ensuring your short and long term health and well being.