The current lifestyle of most women, nowadays, demands them to be quite active. With frequent travels, 9-to-5 jobs and other obligations, they can hardly squeeze out any “me-time”.
As a result, more women are succumbing to fatigue, with the lifestyle affecting both their physical and mental health. But, with just a few simple measures, such a situation can be easily avoided.
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Below is a health guide for women that can set you on the path to living a healthier, better and more secure life.
1. Following a well balanced Diet plan
While Knorr soups and Maggie might taste delicious and take two minutes to prepare, they hardly contribute anything in terms of “food value”.
A home-cooked meal chock full of vegetables, on the other hand, can be just the thing your body needs after a long, busy day.
According to dieticians, an individual’s diet should consist of as many natural foods as possible. You should, therefore, focus on the following food groups while planning your meals:
- Plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes.
- Pulses and grains.
- Lean meats, eggs, fish, etc. Tofu if you are vegan.
- Dairy products.
- Seeds and nuts.
These food groups contain the right balance of nutrients, which can help you maintain and improve your overall health. They help to provide your body with carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, fibre and minerals, which are essential for sustenance.
Further, in this respect, it is best to avoid foods high in saturated fat, like cakes, pastries, biscuits, etc. Saturated fat, alongside trans-fat, can have an adverse effect on your health and expose you to risks like heart diseases, obesity, etc.
However, you should also remember to treat yourself. There is no harm in having some pizza or a sugary treat once in a while!
2. Exercising each day for a minimum of thirty minutes
Owing to the strenuous life that most women lead nowadays, heart-related diseases are becoming more common. Combined with unhealthy eating habits, lack of exercise is one of the primary causes for a rise in obesity, heart attacks, blockages, et al.
But, the way to counter this is pretty simple. A mere 30 minutes of exercise each day can minimise the chances of these illnesses. Jogging, swimming, bicycling, aerobics and such, are particularly useful when it comes to fitness.
Along with cardio, it is also important to include resistance and weight-bearing exercises in your workout routine for the prevention of diseases like –
- Heart ailments,
- Osteoporosis,
- Diabetes, and such.
Exercising regularly also holds the key to promote your mental health. Thus, when it comes to the best health tips for women, exercise has to be one of the more important ones.
3. Taking measures to maintain a proper Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index refers to the percentage of your body fat content and is calculated in accordance with your height and age. For a woman of average stature,
- BMI of less than 18.5 is considered lower than average.
- BMI ranges between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered ideal.
- BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.
Now, while maintaining a healthy BMI might sound simple, it demands discipline and commitment on your part. The key to an ideal BMI lies in consuming a balanced diet and including at least an hour’s exercise in your daily routine.
To reach your goal BMI, you will have to reduce your daily calorie intake and include as many natural foods as you can in your daily meal. It is best to consult a dietician for a properly planned food chart to reach your ideal weight organically.
4. Practising regular Yoga/Meditation to improve Health
“You cannot always control what goes on outside, but you can always control what goes on inside.”
This is, perhaps, the best quote to summarise the effect that yoga can have on your body. While practising yoga has been entwined with the Indian culture since time immemorial, the western countries are catching-up as well.
Yoga is an umbrella term that is used to denote several types of exercises. Modern yoga, as followed by western countries, incorporates meditation, breathing exercises and different poses that aid you to relax and reduce stress effectively.
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Following are a few benefits that practising yoga every day can bring to your body:
- Reduces stress.
- Relieves anxiety.
- Beneficial for heart health.
- Positively impacts mental health.
- Improves the quality of sleep.
With such multi-faceted benefits and more, yoga is an extremely advantageous activity that can boost your welfare.
5. Drinking plenty of Water each day
It is common knowledge that the human body consists of up to 60% of water. Further, physicians recommend drinking at least 3 litres of water every day. Hydrating yourself is another one of the most important health tips as it is extremely vital for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Drinking plenty of water not only helps to keep your system clean but also helps you to reduce weight by boosting your metabolism.
Some of the other key benefits of drinking water have been given as follows:
- Maximises physical performance.
- Influences energy levels and brain function.
- Relieve constipation.
- Prevent the formation of kidney stones.
- Treat and prevent headaches.
With such benefits and more, staying hydrated is one of the most crucial aspects of staying healthy. So, make sure you carry a bottle of water everywhere you go to ensure you remain hydrated all the time.
6. Maintaining a Healthy Work-life balance
While the advent of technology has made life significantly easier, it has also brought its fair share of hazards. One of the most significant among them is that they have made workers accessible round the clock. In most cases, the fear of losing job acts as an incentive to push you to work longer hours. This can have a detrimental effect on your health, which is usually not immediately noticeable.
To prevent this from happening, you need to work towards maintaining a healthy work-life balance. The following health tips can help you to facilitate the same:
- Focus on effective time management.
- Take days off from your work to focus on your personal life.
- Do not let yourself burn out at your workplace. If you feel burdened and find that you are not enjoying your work, maybe it is time for a job switch.
- Plan for vacations periodically.
7. Implementation of Stress reduction measures
Too much stress or anxiety can be a silent killer that can affect both your physical and mental wellbeing. It is, therefore, extremely crucial to adopt measures that can relieve the daily stress from your work and other hassles of life.
Following are a few health tips that can aid you to combat stress effectively:
- Exercise – It is one of the most effective ways through which you can reduce stress. Apart from helping you remain fit, exercising regularly can help to reduce stress by lowering stress hormones like cortisol and releasing endorphins.
- Exercising also improves your quality of sleep and consequently helps to reduce your stress and anxiety.
- Stress and anxiety can also be controlled by various supplements. Some of these include – omega-3 fatty acid, lemon balm, green tea, ashwagandha, etc.
- Reduce caffeine intake, as it can make you jittery.
Some of the other health tips for women to combat stress include meditation, listening to soothing music, breathing exercises, etc.
8. Limiting exposure/protecting yourself from too much Sun
The sun is the richest source of vitamin D, which helps your body to absorb calcium. But, prolonged exposure to sunlight can have a detrimental effect on your body.
For instance, ultraviolet rays from the sun can damage the fibres in your skin called elastin. This can make your skin susceptible to tears and bruises. Further, it can also expose your skin to the risk of cancerous or precancerous lesions due to lowered immunity.
Therefore, to prevent such risks, it is best to limit your time in the sun. You can further get protective measures like sunscreen (with high sun protection factor or SPF), hats, etc. that can help shield you from too much sun exposure.
9. Sleeping for at least 8 hours each night
Catching at least 8 hours of shut-eye each night is, perhaps, one of the most important contributors when it comes to staying healthy. When your body is devoid of proper sleep, you will find yourself becoming lethargic, cranky and suffer from lack of concentration.
To prevent this from happening, it is crucial for you to give your body the rest it requires. With proper sleep, you can have a clearer mind, uplift your mood and even promote your cardiovascular health.
10. Prevention of Health risks by making regular Doctor appointments
Doctor appointments, while unpleasant, are not something to be avoided forever. Making yearly appointments are especially crucial to reduce the chances of critical illnesses like breast and cervical cancer.
In this respect, it is also pertinent to have a comprehensive health insurance cover in place. This insurance plan is one of the necessities which can reduce your financial liabilities arising from the treatment of these diseases.
They can further help to curb stress by providing you with the much-needed financial security required during such situations.
11. Maintaining a Healthy Sex life with your partner
Even though most women shy away from discussing it openly, a fulfilling sex-life is pivotal for a healthy life.
A woman’s sexual needs can encompass various issues – ranging from unintentional pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. Thus, one of the more important health tips for women is to start talking about their sexual needs.
There are several issues that can arise once a woman reaches her mid-thirties. Some of them include:
- Low libido.
- Difficulty to reach orgasm.
- Low response to sexual stimulation.
- Painful sex.
- Reduced natural lubrication during sex.
These can, as a result, impact your overall wellbeing. To prevent this from happening, it is crucial to discuss your needs with your partner and adopt measures to promote a healthier sex-life.
Further, a fulfilling sex-life can also bear many rewards, like – burning calories, lower risks of cardiovascular diseases and such.
12. Assessing and taking care of your Mental Health
While each of us pays special attention to our physical well being, our mental health often gets neglected. But we must make it a point to prioritise our mental health over others.
With issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD, mood disorders, etc. on the rise, it is now more important than ever to review and assess your mental health periodically.
Below are a few health tips for women, following which can help to look after your mental health –
- Talking about your feelings
- Eating healthy and well
- Drinking sensibly
- Taking periodic breaks
.. and most importantly, asking for help when you need it!
13. Securing yourself from Health scares in the future
It is never too early to start thinking about the future. While a woman in her thirties might think that age-related health issues are problems to be thought about in the distant future, it is best to start right now.
For instance, opting for a senior citizen health insurance can help, to a certain extent, secure your finances against the medical bills incurred for seeking treatment in your old age.
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Therefore, even though it is impossible to eliminate the risks of diseases at a later age, you can secure your finances against the liabilities that might arise to treat them.
14. Quitting smoking and other such harmful habits
While the harmful effects of smoking are not limited to women, it can have a more grievous effect on them. Ranging from premature menopause to ectopic pregnancy, there are several effects of smoking that are reserved solely for women.
Further, issues like high chances of rectal and cervical cancer are some other conditions that are prevalent among women, as a result of smoking. To keep the risks of such diseases at a check, it is best to let go of this habit.
15. Limiting Alcohol consumption et al.
While a glass of red wine can be good for your health once in a while, it is crucial to ensure that your alcohol consumption remains under control. This is primarily because excessive alcohol consumption can have several adverse effects on your health.
Some of the more detrimental of them include the following:
- It increases the risks of alcohol-related liver diseases and ailments like cirrhosis.
- Research shows that excessive alcohol consumption can affect your memory and lead to shrinkage of the brain.
- Unchecked alcohol consumption can also increase the risk of several types of cancer, including – throat, mouth, liver, oesophagus, breast, etc.
16. Avoiding Fad diets which can lead your Health to deteriorate
A fad diet can be described as a diet that is extremely popular for a specific time period and comes without any standard dietary recommendations.
Now, from its definition, it can be easily assumed that these diets are not ideal for losing weight. Even though they might seemingly work, they can lead your health to deteriorate fast.
That is why, even though a diet might claim to help you lose 1 kg weight in one week, it is best to stray away from them. In the long run, it will inevitably prove to be unsustainable or even medically dangerous.
17. Remaining updated with issues faced by Women Worldwide
When it comes to penning down a robust health guide for women, it is impossible to conclude it without talking about awareness. Given the rise in various health-related or societal issues that women encounter each day, it is crucial to remain informed about the same.
Even though it might not be directly linked to remaining healthy, per se, awareness can definitely help to change your outlook towards life. This can, in turn, make it possible for you to become more empathetic, imbibe positivity and over-all grow as an individual in life.
