Being Proactive in Women's Health and Wellness: A Guide for Women's History Month and National Nutrition Month
Charting a Path to Wellness: Strategies for Enhancing Women's Health through Nutrition, Movement, and Mindful Living
As we celebrate Women's History Month and National Nutrition Month, it's a powerful reminder of the importance of taking proactive steps toward our health and wellness. As a Clinical Functional Nutritionist and Certified Health and Wellness Coach with a focus on bone health, I understand the unique challenges women face in maintaining their health and the impactful strategies that can make a difference. Here, I want to share simple tips, planning techniques, and a vision of wellness to inspire and guide women towards proactive health management.
Embrace a Holistic Approach to Nutrition
Nutrition is the cornerstone of good health, and adopting a holistic approach can significantly impact your well-being. Focus on incorporating a variety of nutrients that support bone health, such as calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and potassium. Foods rich in these nutrients include leafy greens, nuts, seeds, dairy products, and fatty fish. Remember, it's not just about what you eat but how you nourish your body and soul.
Deepening Nutritional Wisdom
Nutrition forms the foundation of our health, influencing everything from bone density to mental clarity. To elevate your nutritional practice:
Diversify Your Plate: Aim for a colorful array of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Each color represents different nutrients and antioxidants (phytonutrients) that support comprehensive health. Every color provides specific phytonutrients and sometimes these benefits are tied to what the food looks like which is called the doctrine of signature. For example, tomatoes look like a heart and benefit your heart, and collard greens look like your brain and are also good for it.
Bone-Strengthening Superfoods: Emphasize foods high in calcium (leafy greens like bok choy, watercress, kale, and collard greens, canned seafood like sardines and tuna, and seeds like chia seeds), vitamin D (fatty fish, egg yolks, fortified foods), and other bone-friendly nutrients like vitamin K (again green leafy vegetables like kale, broccoli, bok choy, watercress and collard greens for K1 and fermented foods like kefir, yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, kimchi, fruit kvass) and phosphorus (seed like chia seeds, hemp hearts, flaxseeds, and pumpkin seeds and fish again like mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout). Noticing a pattern? Me too! There is overlap in the foods that are bone-healthy providing multiple beneficial nutrients.
Hydration for Health: Don't underestimate the power of staying hydrated. Water plays a crucial role in transporting nutrients, maintaining temperature, and supporting joint health. If you feel thirsty, you are likely already dehydrated so start drinking before you are thirsty. Consider drinking tea and herbal infusions (you know herbal tea!) like nettles which are rich in minerals and known for a wide variety of health benefits including boosting bones’ health!
Incorporate Regular Movement
Movement is vital for maintaining strong bones and overall health. Weight-bearing activities, such as walking, jogging, and strength training, are particularly beneficial for bone health. Aim to integrate at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week.
The mind-body connection is powerful, with stress having a tangible impact on physical health. Cultivate a serene mind through:
Balancing Your Workouts: Combine cardio for heart health, strength training for bone and muscle strength, and flexibility exercises for mobility. Yoga and Pilates can offer both strength and flexibility benefits. Yoga and Pilates aren’t the only activities to combine cardio, strength, and flexibility try something new like Tai Chi, Qigong, or Chair Yoga.
Finding Joy in Movement: Movement doesn’t have to be torturous, it can be play! If Find activities you enjoy, you're more likely to stick with them long-term. If it is challenging to find joy in movement, think about the types of activities you enjoyed as a child and try one of them out as an adult; make it into a game! Choose activities you love. Dancing, hiking, cycling, or group sports can make exercise feel less like a chore and more like a joyful celebration of your body's capabilities.
Prioritize Mindfulness and Stress Reduction
Stress can have a significant impact on your physical health, including bone density. Incorporating mindfulness practices can help manage stress levels. Taking time each day to focus on mindfulness can also improve your mental well-being, leading to a more balanced and healthier lifestyle.
The mind-body connection is powerful, with stress having a tangible impact on physical health. Cultivate a serene mind through:
Daily Mindfulness Practices: Allocate time for mindfulness practices like mindful eating, meditation whether sitting or walking, yoga, Tai Chi, Qi-Gong, deep breathing, or progressive muscle relaxation. These practices can center your thoughts, reduce stress hormones, and improve your emotional equilibrium.
Creating a Sanctuary: Designate a peaceful spot in your home where you can retreat for quiet reflection, reading, or journaling. This physical space can enhance your mental space. It is often true that the space you are in matches your mind; if you have a cluttered area your mind is more likely to be cluttered and if you have an organized space your mind is more likely to be organized. So, make it how you want it.
Schedule Regular Health Check-ups
Preventative care is key to maintaining good health. Regular check-ups with your healthcare provider can help catch any potential issues early and keep you on track with your health goals. Be sure to discuss screening for issues which you are at higher risk for like those for which you have a family history of having which can be different for everyone. For me, it is important to think about bone density screening at an earlier age than some because I have a history of it on both sides of the family along with screen for eye diseases like cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma and skin cancer screening because my dad survived melanoma. He did more than survive, he is thriving and if you did not know his history you would never know how serious it was and that he almost died.
Proactive Health Monitoring
Regular check-ups are crucial for catching potential health issues early. Beyond general health screenings, consider:
Bone Density Tests: Especially important for women over 50 or those with risk factors for osteoporosis. These tests can serve as a baseline for monitoring your bone health over time.
Nutritional Deficiency Screenings: Ensuring you're getting enough vital nutrients can prevent deficiencies that impact bone health, energy levels, and overall vitality.
Create a Vision of Wellness
Creating a vision of wellness can be a powerful motivator. Consider what being healthy means to you and what you wish to achieve in your wellness journey. This vision can guide your daily choices and help you stay focused on your goals. Whether it's improving bone health, increasing movement, reducing stress, or something else, having a clear vision can inspire you to take proactive steps toward your health.
Visualizing your health goals can turn aspirations into reality. Develop your wellness vision by:
Creating a Vision Board: Use images and words to represent your health goals. This visual representation can inspire and motivate you daily.
Setting SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals can outline a clear path to your vision of wellness.
Work with an NBC-HWC: National Board-Certified Health Coaches like me who can guide you through a visualization practice called Future-Self Visualization and partner with you to bridge the gap between your current lifestyle and how you see yourself in the future. I also use other coaching tools during health and wellness coaching like art as poetry, music, and intuitive collage to help me guide you. These tools can help you create SMART goals during our coaching sessions.
Simple Planning Tips
Efficient planning transforms goals into action. Elevate your health planning with:
Meal Planning: Start with planning your meals for the week, focusing on nutrient-rich foods that support bone health. Preparing meals ahead of time can help you stay on track with your nutrition goals. Spend a few hours each week preparing nutrient-dense meals. This not only saves time but ensures you have healthy options readily available.
Movement Routine: Set a weekly movement plan that includes a mix of cardiovascular, strength, and flexibility workouts. Planning your workouts ahead of time ensures you allocate time for movement. Pair up with a workout buddy, join a fitness community, or use an app to track your progress. Accountability can significantly increase your chances of sticking with your routine.
Mindfulness Practice: Dedicate a specific time each day for mindfulness practices. Even a few minutes can make a difference in managing stress and enhancing your overall well-being. Just as you plan for your movement routine, schedule your mindfulness practices. Even 10 minutes a day can significantly impact your stress levels and mental health. If you are struggling to find the time, consider adding it to a well-established habit in your routine like taking a shower or brushing your teeth in the morning or before bed.
Conclusion
Together, we can honor our bodies and our journey towards optimal well-being. Being proactive in your health and wellness is a journey of empowerment. This Women's History Month and National Nutrition Month, let's commit to taking control of our health by being proactive, creating a vision of wellness that inspires us, and implementing practical strategies that lead to a healthier, happier, and more meaningful life. With thoughtful planning, a holistic view of nutrition, dedicated movement routines, stress management, and a clear vision of wellness, we can empower ourselves and each other to lead healthier, more fulfilled lives. Here's to celebrating women's achievements by committing to our health and wellness.
Remember, your health is your wealth, and taking proactive steps today can lead to a brighter, healthier tomorrow. Feel free to reach out and schedule a free discovery call to see how I can help you meet your health and wellness goals with an approach personalized to you and your needs while meeting you where you are now!
