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What Every Woman Needs to Know to Stay Healthy
by VitaNet 4
http://vitanetonline.com/
There are hundreds and thousands of articles, books, media
sources and materials available in the world that tell us
how to stay healthy. How many of us have time to research,
read and scour this multitude of information? Further, how
do we trust all the information available out there? This
article has done all the work for you. Of course, not
every tip or piece of worldly advice can be put on these
few pages but the most important information is here. Keep
a copy and hand this out to all the women you know, it is
for every female person ages 1-100.
>From ages 1-10
Staying healthy and starting healthy habits begins the
minute we are born. What can we do for those at these
young and tender ages? Mothers can begin by breast-
feeding. They can introduce healthy items at meal times
when babies are ready for solid food. Required
immunizations need to be kept up to date. From birth
through young childhood, the intake of a chewable tablet
vitamin supplement must become part of their daily
routine. Be sure to watch what ingredients are in those
children's multi vitamins you purchase. Your pediatrician
or family physician can advise you of the proper vitamin
supplement needed for your child's specific body type and
physical condition. Starting with healthy eating and
lifestyle habits in young childhood sets the stage for
your child's good health into middle childhood and the
adolescent years.
Ages 11-20
Good health is critical for young women. It's important to
remember a few key things about this age group. The young
girl/woman will be experiencing a growth spurt, which may
be accompanied by what is known as "growing pains".
Healthy habits will assure her full attention span and
enough energy to participate in school activities and
classroom learning. Her body is also preparing for the
beginning of menstruation. Puberty begins and the brain
starts its process of sending messages to the hormonal
system and the reproductive organs begin to develop. Good
nutrition along with a vitamin supplement will also ready
her body for excellent reproductive health and potential
child bearing. Most importantly, by the age of 20 if she
has developed these few health habits, the young woman is
likely to carry those into her adult years.
Ages 20-39
If a female person is developmentally on course and is
dedicated to maintaining optimum health, she should remain
healthy into her later years. These years of 20-39 are
when women become busy with careers and/or having children
or starting a family. Many experts agree that this is
also a time when women will postpone or neglect their own
health in order to provide care for others. Remember, you
are not going to be able to provide much help, care or
assistance for others if you yourself are ill, exhausted
or nutritionally deficient. Let's discuss how women can
avoid this trap and insure their own good health.
~~Eat healthy foods. Avoiding unhealthy fats and
consuming raw fruits and vegetables go a long way in
staying nutritionally stable.
~~Watch your dieting habits. While there are many
diet plans out there, the simplest is almost always more
effective. Watching portion size and the ingredients
(fat, calories and sugar) in foods will often net the best
weight loss results. It's wise to note that losing or
maintaining your desired weight means one thing, there
needs to be more calories burned than what has been
consumed. This can be accomplished with:
~~Exercise. Whether you are a regular attendee at
the local gym or you workout at home, there are certain
types of exercise that will benefit you the most. One
exercise routine must raise your heart rate
(cardiovascular health). Another should include free-
weights or weight lifting in some form (bone health and
strengthening). Additionally, walking, dancing and
swimming can tone the body. Weight loss in pounds alone
will make you happy when you step on the scales but most
women want that loose skin (abdomen, underarms, and
thighs) to tighten up as well. If you just can't find the
time to exercise, try these activities:
~~Park in the last open parking space far away from
the storefront and walk.
~~At home, grab some large juice bottles that have
the indented areas for carrying or milk jugs and do some
curls.
~~Take the stairs instead of elevators in public
places
~~Take a stroll through your neighborhood every
night after dinner
~~Visit your gynecologist every year for a PAP test
(more often if your doctor suggests or your last one came
back with an abnormal result). PAP tests are essential
towards maintaining a healthy reproductive system. They
are used to detect cervical cancer and infections among
other things.
~~Perform your own self-breast exams.
~~Make an appointment at age 39 for your first
mammogram.
~~Take regular multi vitamins every day. Add other
supplements including calcium, Fish Oil and Vitamin C. Do
some research on the types and amounts of vitamins and/or
supplements you could be taking. I found
vitanetonline.com to be very helpful for this kind of
information. Also, it has been found that women in these
childbearing years are lacking in the amount of folic acid
they need. Insufficient amounts of folic acid have been
linked to birth defects of the brain in newborns. These
birth defects can be avoided if a woman takes sufficient
amounts of folic acid before she conceives and during the
early, first trimester of pregnancy.
~~Not least of all, are these tips to good health
that most informational sources rarely mention.
~~Find a spiritual path or connection. These are
highly personal so I won't offer any suggestions. Women
have chosen a religion, nature, prayer, rituals, a quiet
room and many others to find that place within self where
they can be at peace.
~~Keep your mental health a priority. Talk to a
professional therapist if you need some guidance or
direction.
~~Avoid unhealthy relationships. If you are being
abused in any manner by anyone, seek help
While all these "tips" for the age 20-39 group will keep a
woman in optimum health, most of these need to be
implemented and continued into the later years as well.
Ages 40-100
These are the years that many women claim that they become
wiser. Some even claim that it is the best time of life
they ever experienced. The tips for the 20-39 age groups
hold true for women beyond 40; some exceptions would
include the advice on folic acid intake, the amount of
weight carried in the free-weight exercise routines, the
limitations of exercise that may create falls, accidents
or injuries and the PAP tests. Regular PAP test
examinations usually ceases around 80 years of age but ask
your doctor first.
>From ages 40-50 a woman can expect pre-menopausal
symptoms. Again, the changes that occur in any woman's
life can never be set at a certain age. There are women
that may never have any disrupting symptoms of menopause.
Other women may begin menopause at age 40 others might be
near 50. Some women may become post-menopausal at age 45
and others at age 52-55. No matter what the age of onset
or completion, menopause happens. Be sure to talk to your
doctor about remedies for the symptoms of menopause.
There are hormone replacement therapies (HRT) as well as
some natural supplements to ease menopause. Taking soy
isoflavones, in capsule form, have recently been regarded
by some women as helpful in decreasing their hot flashes.
While awareness of the importance of calcium and its
consumption should be well established by age 15, many
older women still don't find it a concern. Osteoporosis
(bone weakness) can begin to occur as early as age 35. By
the time you get into this age group of 40+ and you
haven't been caring for your calcium needs, you might
expect by age 60 to see the results in your body. We have
all seen the women with humps below their neck at the
spine. We have seen the stooped walks and heard of women
in this age group having falls that break their hips and
other bone structures. This is a result of weak bones.
There are also hereditary factors that play into whether
or not we get osteoporosis. Take your calcium ladies.
In summation:
~~Keep exercising but know your limitations
~~Continue getting mammograms
~~Keep eating healthy. If you like gardening,
that's light exercise and you can eat healthy too.
~~Stay socially active
Women are living longer. We are living longer because the
importance of diet, exercise, vitamin and supplement
intakes and other information has become easily
available. But living longer is not necessarily a good
thing if the QUALITY of our lives is not taken into
account. If you follow these tips and commit yourself to
making healthy lifestyle choices then all your years can
be filled with happiness, peace and good health.
About the author:
This article was written by VitaNet~ Health Foods at
http://vitanetonline.com/. VitaNet strives to bring you
the highest quality vitamins and herbs available on the
market today. Browse our wide selection of discount
that are in stock and ready to ship.
Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must
include a link pointing to http://vitanetonline.com/
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