9 Ways To Celebrate Women’s Health and Fitness Day
Sept 30th is National Women’s Health & Fitness Day, a nation-wide effort to focus attention on the importance of regular exercise and healthy living for women. Although local events will be limited due to COVID-19, there are several ways you can celebrate the day!
1. Try a New Sport
You’ve surely heard of the hot new Pickleball trend that is sweeping Kansas City! This super fun sport has been around for decades (ask Grandpa about it!) and is making waves with the millennial crowd. For the uninitiated, pickleball is something of a mix between tennis, racquetball and ping pong. Players use special paddles and a whiffle ball, and games take place on tennis courts with specific pickleball lines. Nets and court sizes are smaller than their tennis counterparts, and the most common game is doubles, although singles is also an option. It has its own set of quirky rules — for instance, try to stay out of the “kitchen”— but they’re easy to learn.
2. Eat Healthy Superfoods
You may not be Superwoman (well not every day), but you can eat superfoods. We’re talking broccoli, apples, turnips—-and lots of other good stuff you can find at your local farmer’s market. Try superfoods that can help you lose weight, fight colds, boost your heart health, and even live longer.
3. Get Your Thyroid Checked
A sluggish thyroid can wreak havoc on your concentration, mood and weight and can go undetected for years. Some of the symptoms that are often overlooked include:
• Constipation. Many people know an underactive thyroid slows things down, but they may not realize it affects the digestive system, too.
• Foggy thinking. Just as a sluggish thyroid can slow down your body (and your metabolism), it can also slow down your brain, too. The end result: an inability to focus. A person whose thyroid is extremely slow may even be slow to speak and speak slowly.
• Anxiety and depression. When your brain isn’t operating at full capacity, depression and anxiety naturally follow.
• Recurrent miscarriages. If a woman with an underactive thyroid gets pregnant and hasn’t been treated for hypothyroidism, complications may arise. On the plus side, if hypothyroidism is detected and treated, patients often go on to have successful pregnancies.
• Menstrual irregularities. A thyroid problem (whether underactive or hyperactive) often wreaks havoc on menstruation. A woman’s cycle might be longer or shorter, and they may have difficulty ovulating.
• Carpal tunnel syndrome. An underactive thyroid can cause your body to retain water, even in your hands, wrists and fingers.
• Puffy face. Just as you can hold excess water in your hands and fingers, it can also show up on your face!
• Hoarseness.
• Sensitivity to cold. If you feel cold when everyone else is comfortable, it could be a sign of hypothyroidism. After all, it takes energy to warm the body.
• Hair loss. Hair loss is common with hypothyroidism. With all systems slowing down, the body prioritizes critical survival functions. Hair growth isn’t one of them.
Think you may have a thyroid disorder? Ask your doctor to check your thyroid levels, especially if you have a family history of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (an autoimmune disease where the immune disease attacks and destroys the thyroid gland). A simple blood test could bring you one step closer to relief.
4. Our favorite – Take a Nap
Ever heard of the Power Nap? It does WONDERS for your health! Nodding off during an important work meeting, snoring through a boring lecture, riding the subway to the end of the line after falling asleep on the ride home — these things happen. But avoid being “that” person by adding nap time to that daily routine. Seriously: Catching some (planned) midday Zzz’s can refresh and rejuvenate. New research is shedding light on the health benefits of sleep, which is good for your heart, mind, weight, and more.
5. Treat Yo’ Self
Taking a day for yourself and heading off to the spa may seem like an indulgence that you don’t have time for but you should reconsider. Self-care is important and you shouldn’t overlook the importance of taking time for yourself and recharging your batteries. If you have been feeling restless, exhausted or just plain stressed out it may be time to give yourself a break.
6. Ask A Friend to Workout
Accountability is EVERYTHING. It’s so easy to skip workouts or walks when it’s just you, but when you make a date with your friend and put it in your weekly planner, it’s a commitment to yourself and another person. Fancy yourself to be a bit of a competitor? Working out with a friend can give you that little push that you may not be getting working out solo.
7. Stay Hydrated
Drinking 64 ounces of water a day is the optimum hydration goal. But if you just can’t stomach the taste of plain ol’ H20, slice up some fruit and throw it in your Hydroflask. Or freeze berries in ice cubes for a cool, simple refresher.
8. Take Care of Your Mental Health
Let’s face it. Life is a bit challenging right now. With not only our normal routines completely turned upside down, but along with it the underlying unease as a result of a crazy pandemic. While staying at home to protect your family and community during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, you may be feeling a heighted level of anxiety and stress. Our day-to-day life looks very different than it did a few months ago, and relaxing may seem more difficult today than it was before our lives became consumed by COVID-19. Everyone has been impacted by this in some way and taking care of your mental health is more important now than ever. So take a break from the news, connect with loved ones, get in a good workout and if the stress is too much, don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help.
9. Eat Some Chocolate
Because. YOU DESERVE IT. And the health benefits sure don’t hurt! Chocolate is believed to contain high levels of antioxidants and some studies have suggested chocolate could lower cholesterol levels and prevent memory decline.
