NWHRC Challenges Women to "Take 10" for National Women's Health Week
Red Bank, NJ - As part of their HealthyWomen Take 10 campaign, the not-for-profit National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) today issued a challenge to women across the country to make 10 small lifestyle changes for National Women's Health Week (May 14-20).
"We hope women use this health week as motivation to examine their health habits and incorporate some of our tips into their busy lifestyle," said Beth Battaglino Cahill, RN, executive director of NWHRC. "We suspect that if women try these tips for one week, they will see that small changes can make a big difference in the way they look and feel."
NWHRC encourages women to implement the following activities into their daily routines:
- Walk this way. Take an after dinner walk around the neighborhood. A brisk walk can help in achieving the recommended 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days.
- Keep the water flowing. Your body needs plenty of fluids to maintain good health -- for most women that's 2.7 liters (about 11 cups) of water from beverages and foods daily.
- Check in for a checkup. Has it been more than a year since your last checkup? Call your health care professional this week and make an appointment for your annual health exam.
- Pop on a pedometer. Pedometers count the number of steps you take in a day -- the more, the better.
- Lather up with sunscreen. Everyone needs to use sunblock, regardless of race or skin tone. Wear broad-spectrum sunblock (SPF 30 is a good choice), applied liberally to exposed skin up to a half-hour before going outdoors.
- Think colorfully when you eat. Think about this easy rule when you're grocery shopping this week or dining out. Foods with bright colors -- red peppers, oranges, green broccoli, blueberries -- are healthier for you than white bread, mashed potatoes or pasta with cream sauce.
- Substitute sugar and salt. Sugar tastes good to most of us, so it's easy to consume too much. That can add pounds and limit the intake of healthier foods. Salt not only tastes good, but also enhances other food flavors. Lowering salt in your diet can reduce high blood pressure and lessen overeating.
- Last call for alcohol. Say no to that second glass of wine. Limiting your alcohol intake can have substantial health benefits.
- Stretch out stress. If you're working this week, take a couple of minutes to get your blood flowing by stretching your back, neck and chest muscles. This will rejuvenate you during the work day and send you home ready for an active evening.
- Get a multivitamin boost. Are you getting the vitamins and minerals you need to protect your health? Probably not. Indeed, research shows that most of us don't get all the vitamins we need through diet alone. Taking a daily multivitamin helps close that gap.
The HealthyWomen Take 10 campaign was launched in 2004 as a way of illustrating to women that taking a small amount of time to change behavior or learn about a new health issue can have a major impact on your overall health. As part of the campaign, NWHRC launched the HealthyWomen Take 10 monthly e-newsletter, which provides fitness, nutrition and general lifestyle advice.
Additional campaign programs have included Take 10 for Your Heart, Take 10 for GI Health, and Take 10 to TALK to your health care professional.
To subscribe to the HealthyWomen Take 10 e-newsletter and learn more about healthy lifestyle tips or the HealthyWomen Take 10 programs, please log on to https://www.healthywomen.org/st/newsletter.
# # # #The National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC) is the leading independent health information source for women. The non-profit organization develops and distributes up-to-date and objective women's health information based on the latest advances in medical research and practice. NWHRC believes all women should have access to the most trusted and reliable health information. Informed women are healthier women.
Contact: Amber McCracken
