As a nurse practitioner working in a Women’s Gyn office, I am continuously amazed at the strength and resilience of women. Although, I see women of all ages in our practice, I am particularly impressed by those adult women, age forty and beyond. This woman may be dealing with concerns related to children of all ages including grown children and possibly grandchildren, aging parents, financial stressors, and maybe some newly diagnosed health issues of her own.
She may be working full time and/or she may be taking classes to continue her education. You know her. She can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan, and all the while, she continues to make everything look absolutely perfect. She tells me that she is stressed, tired, and often times feels that she has way too much on her plate, and she does! Oh, did I mention she is also dealing with symptoms of menopause?
If you are able to recognize yourself in any or all of the above scenarios, I have a few tips that you may find helpful.Three concepts I try to reinforce with my patients; Strive for balance, Keep it simple, and most importantly, Be reasonable.
It is important to remember to look for balance in your life. Although work is important, you need to find time for fun, relaxation, and quiet time.
What ever you define as work, whether you are actually going to a place of business for 30, 40 or 50 hours a week or whether you are a homemaker, each individual needs to be able to strive for balance between what we define as “work” and what we do with the rest of our day. We all know that we need to be active, so try to find some fun ways to stay active. Walking is a great form of exercise and it may only cost you the price of a decent pair of walking shoes. Some helpful hints, now that the weather is nice, set a goal of walking at least 30 minutes a day, three to five days a week. It‘s a great place to start, and if you’re already there, increase it a little. Keep it simple, you do not have to join a gym, to walk. If the weather isn’t to your liking, walk the mall. If you get bored with a treadmill or walking around the neighborhood, grab a friend and visit any of our Michigan metro parks. A one-day pass is only $5.00 and an annual pass to all of the Michigan metro parks is $50.00. They have great walking and bike trails and they are open all year long. A winter walk can also be fun, just remember to wear a good pair of warm boots and layer your clothing in order to adjust to the temperature. Along with bike and walking trails, some of the metro parks also have cross-country ski trails, for those of you who are a little more daring. Another fun way to increase your walking is to wear a pedometer and challenge yourself to 10,000 steps a day; you might be surprised at how easy that can be. So lace up your sneakers, set goals, track your progress and put a star on your calendar when you have accomplished your goal. Be reasonable; exercise does not have to be expensive and setting reasonable goals will help you to be successful.
Rest and Relaxation is also important. Take time to do something that you enjoy. Perhaps it is reading a good book, watching a movie, taking a warm bath, or working on puzzles or projects. Get outside in the fresh air, take advantage of the great summer weekend art fairs, visit the zoo, reconnect with an old friend, or join a book club. Whatever it is, make time for it, because you deserve it. Everyone needs a little down time.
Call it meditation, call it quiet time, call it prayer, what ever you call it, try to find some time to engage in it. Turn the TV, radio, blackberry, pager, cell phone off and just listen to the quiet. From the time our alarm clock goes off in the morning, until we go to bed again at night, our brains are bombarded by noise and distraction. No wonder we feel so stressed. Give yourself a “time-out”. Make some quiet time every day to reflect and regroup. Experts agree that as little as 15 minutes per day can decrease stress, increase our energy and regenerate our spirit.
One of the simplest ways to keep ourselves healthy is by maintaining our weight. Many of my patients are being treated for hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. I often remind my patients that losing as little as 10% of their weight may be enough to reverse the effects of those chronic conditions. Again, set reasonable goals. With exercise and a healthy diet, you should see a slow and steady weight loss, which in the long run will be easier to maintain.
As we age, a decrease in blood estrogen prompts the body to store more fat, which results in a reduction in muscle tissue and in muscle strength. A reduction in muscle strength contributes to fractures. Therefore, lifestyle changes including increasing physical exercise, eating a healthy diet and smoking cessation cannot be overemphasized. Healthy lifestyle changes will increase circulation, strengthen bone and increase overall function. Optimal health and wellness will increase your ability to meet those challenges and stressors that we encounter every day. Remember to celebrate healthy lifestyle changes; you deserve to look and feel your very best.
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