Start Your Year Off Right!

5 Tips on Women’s Health

5 Ways to Boost Women’s Health

Most health tips are the same across the board for men and women, but there are a few that are a little different. The following 5 tips will help you, as a female, to feel energized and healthy this year.

1. Eat a Healthy Diet to Increase Needed Minerals. It is important to have an adequate intake of specific minerals for ideal women’s health. Magnesium is good when it comes to ridding yourself of sugar cravings, the dizziness that is associated with PMS, headaches and low blood sugar. Calcium aids in reducing cravings, depression and fatigue before a menstrual period. Calcium also is essential for post-menopausal women to avoid the onset of osteoporosis. These two minerals should be taken together, so that calcium levels can be moderated within the cells by the magnesium.
2. Exercise for Heart Health. According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in America. Find a form of exercise that you really enjoy. Physical activity for at least 30 minutes, 5 days a week will keep the heart healthy and can be one of the best forms of self-care. Weather permitting, take your exercise outside as much as possible. Vitamin D from the sun will assist in reducing menstrual cramps as well as help with the absorption of the magnesium and calcium.
3. Avoid Risky Behaviors. Stay away from cigarettes and people who smoke. Don’t use drugs. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
4. Manage Stress. No matter what stage of her life — daughter, mother, grandmother — a woman often wears many hats and deals with a lot of pressure and stress.Stress affects a your female body in various ways—hormones and menstrual cycle, sleep patterns, decreased sexual desire and increased menopausal symptoms. You can manage stress with exercise, relaxation techniques, or meditation.
5. Make Yourself Aware of Female-specific Cancers. Perform a breast self-examination monthly to check for breast cancer. Breast cancer, however, isn’t the only form of cancer that women are susceptible to. Other gynecological cancers include cervical, ovarian, uterine/endometrial, vulvar and vaginal. Your provider at Summit OBGYN will be able to check for these other cancers anytime you notice a change in your health as well as at your annual well-women exam. Knowing the symptoms and changes in your own health can lead to early detection and treatment.

Learn more about maintaining your health by visiting our qualified providers at Summit OBGYN in Gillette.