Women’s National Health Week

This week is Women’s National Health Week; in fact, May is all about women’s health, both physical and emotional. Although I believe every day is women’s health day, learning more about your health and how to be your healthiest is essential for building resilience for your future self! And making your health a priority is a big gift you can give to your children.

The first step is awareness of how you feel and want to feel. And with that, knowledge is power, as it helps you make better choices in all aspects of your life.

Below are my tips on keeping healthy:

• Lift weights, limit cardio; at least four times a week but move daily
• Prioritize sleep; at least seven hours ( I need at least eight!)
• Keep hydrated; limit alcohol
• Get out in nature, daily
• Eat a variety of whole foods; eat protein with every meal
• And take good quality supplements! You can shop here.

And I like to read books to help keep me accountable and broaden my knowledge.

Here are some favorite books:

• Younger You by Dr. Kara Fitzgerald

• Breath by James Nestor

• Why We Sleep by Mathew Walker, PhD

• All of Dr. James Dinicolantonio ( Especially The Immunity Fix and The Salt Fix)

I haven’t read Dr. Doni Wilson’s new book, but when it arrives, Master Your Stress, Reset Your Health: The Personalized Program to Calm Anxiety, Boost Energy, and Beat Burnout.

Here is an image of a stack of other favourite books I have collected over the years. I re read them regularly and always learn something new.

I can’t help but applaud how much women do daily. It doesn’t matter if they have kids or a partner; women are incredible. However, with all of the amazing work women do, they tend to forget to take good care of themselves. When I have a patient in their thirties, I emphasize this because as we enter perimenopause and menopause, our ovaries shut down – this is normal – and our adrenals begin picking up the ovaries’ work. If we run ourselves in our thirties and early forties, the adrenals are not always up to pick up this extra work, and we can get some awful symptoms.

Knowing that stress is a part of living, it is vital to manage this stress. What I mentioned above has profound benefits on the body; even a daily walk around the neighborhood can be enough when you can’t do more. I sometimes walk over to my neighbors’ house gardenia plants and smell them! It instantly brings stress release and connects me with nature.

Become aware of your daily habits, and see what changes you can make. Minor tweaks can make a significant impact on how your tomorrow will be.

xx

dr. heather