January Awareness Campaigns

More than new year resolutions and a fresh start, there are important issues in women's health recognized by January:

Cervical Health Awareness Month:

Pap tests can help protect you from cervical cancer. Be sure you speak with your internist and/or gynecologist on when and how often you need one.

National Birth Defects Prevention Month:

If you are pregnant or want to become pregnant, now is the time to discuss a healthy pregnancy plan with your physician. Make sure your discussion include items like folic acid, vaccinations and reproductive and general health screenings, medications (including over the counter, herbal, supplements, and prescription drugs), healthy weight (and healthy weight gain), fitness and physical activity, nutrition, oral care, and stress. We want mommy and baby to live their best lives and pregnancy is a critical time for both.

Other important awareness campaigns in the month of January:

• National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month
• Thyroid Awareness Month
• Blood Donor Month
• January 8-14: National Folic Acid Awareness Week
• January 15-21: Healthy Weight Week includes the following important dates:
• January 17 - Rid the World of Fad Diets & Gimmicks Day
• January 19 - Women's Healthy Weight Day

Sorry we didn't post on these dates sooner, but we will be more diligent next year. However, everyday is a good day to be healthy…your life depends on it.

What does it mean to be a BAG Lady?

Our BAG Lady theme suggests that we all are gems, we just have to convince ourselves of it. We have to find the value in ourselves so that we can live better lives.  Using http://www.freedictionary.com/, we have defined BAG Lady in parts. The collective of the definitions sums up our purpose and goal for the BAG Lady Notebook and the BAG Lady series toward living well and healthily. Just as women have many concerns and carry lots of bags, these definitions have lots of meanings and is not always so easily defined. We want to help you make it easier...

Be is a state. It means "to exist in actuality; have life or reality."  Using the word be in varied senses allows us to better understand, identify, and demonstrate our worth. It transcends perceptions of others, it is your reality.  Being a gem is mental, spiritual, and physical.

A is the first letter of the English alphabet. Therefore, it shows significance of being first and usually having a high or the highest rank. In addition to quality, it denotes quantity. A is also singular, meaning one.  So, it is up to you and you alone to decide what kind of life you want to live and commit to achieving it. You must focus on how you can provide the best life for yourself. Grade yourself right now and see if you can raise that score to an A+!

Gems are precious and semi-precious jewels, stones, and metals that are usually high in value.  At http://www.freedictionary.com/, gem is defined as "a pearl or mineral that has been cut and polished for use as an ornament,…something that is valued for its beauty or perfection, [or]…a beloved or highly prized person." Oftentimes great advice are also called "pearls of wisdom" or "little gems of wisdom." At RMDSF, we hope that we can inspire you to see and treat yourselves as gems and live your best life. We provide "gems of wisdom" to help you along the way, but the rest is up to you. Show your sparkle!

Lady is more than a gender specification. We use the word lady over all other synonyms for female because it denotes class and refinement. According to the dictionary, lady means "a well mannered and considerate woman with high standards…regarded as proper and virtuous."  It can be used for women and girls. At RMDSF, we focus on women because they are usually the caretakers of their world: family, church, community, etc. We want you to approach your lives with the same consideration and high standards that you have for others.

It is important for women to remember to honor themselves. We honor you. We appreciate you. We want to see your sparkle…BAG Ladies!

SAVE THE DATE!

New Year...New Food Habits

Your journal has revealed a lot about your fitness, emotional, and nutritional life. It is so easy at the beginning of a new year to get caught up the latest fad diet, detox program, or other diet craze. Fad diets often leave out important elements of our daily nutritional needs. They are drastic! Drastic changes in our diets can cause drastic reactions in our health. Yes, you may lose weight, but this weight loss may not be sustainable as the diet chosen is usually not befitting most lifestyles. Also, many diet fads are too restrictive and disregard the body's need for proper nutrition. Instead of dieting, we suggest that you "EDIT" your nutrition. To do this we have two primary suggestions: 1) think about food as fuel and 2)simply your food plans

Food as fuel

Bite by bite, we load calories into our bodies, but we give little to no thought as to what they truly do for our bodies. This year, let's really look at food, in a fresh way.  Instead of looking at food as the enemy, let's look at it as it was designed…as fuel. 

Food provides our bodies with nutrients to keep our systems going, our organs and matter healthy, and gives us energy to handle the rest of our lives. Look at the nutritional table of your foods. Get to know what's in them. Start thinking about how carbohydrates gives you energy and protein builds muscle. By focusing on the science, we can begin to break the emotional attachments to foods.  We will discuss this method more in months to come.

Simplify your diet plans

Sticking to "diet plans" is a difficult thing, mainly because it is a chore to stay in such restrictive guidelines. Instead of adhering to some plan from someone. Think about healthy options and plan accordingly. In your journal, you have recorded your normal food choices. You can start adjusting these choices little by little. Instead of a major overhaul, start small. Try starting with a 60-40, 75-25, or if you are already advanced, a 90-10 plan. You eat a well-balanced, nutritional meal majority of the time, trying to stay as perfect as possible. However, leave yourself a percent for the cravings and junk foods. These plans help us not feel bad about not being perfect. They also allow us to easily recover when we've strayed from our better food choices.

With these methods, you can start editing your nutrition to create a sustainable method that is good for you. You customize it to fit your needs and lifestyle. As with writing a paper, song, poem, or whatever, you will need a few edits before it is just right. And as always, there will be room for improvement, but you will reach a point of acceptability.

Edit your nutrition…your life just may depend on it.

A Fresh Start to Fitness: Setting Fitness Goals

A fresh start to fitness. With all of the gym membership deals available, we psych ourselves into thinking that a personal trainer, a gym full of equipment, a myriad of exercise videos, and a new high dollar treadmill, elliptical, or bike is what we need to get started. We jump into the gym at the beginning of the year with both feet, feeling like superwoman.  Truth is, most people stop going to the gym, avoid their trainer, watch the videos like a movie, and hang clothes on that special equipment by the end of the month. You need to set realistic physical activity goals.

Because you have been journaling, now you should be able to recognize how you manage your time and how you move your body.  Do you take the stairs instead of the elevator? Do you exercise regularly? How do you feel when you exercise? How do you feel when you don't?  These are questions to help you identify your current behaviors. Move forward with asking additional questions: Do you like exercising? What kinds of physical activity do you like to do? Do you play a sport? Do you need an exercise buddy? How much time do you have to exercise? Can you make it a family affair?

No time? Find pockets of time to move your body. It could be a short brisk walk, a few minutes of interval or strength training, or a full 30-45 minute workout a few days a week.  The key is to FIND or MAKE the time that is sustainable. Do not promise yourself incredible changes, it will lead to incredible disappointments. Schedule some time like you do an appointment for 30 minutes (all at once or disbursed throughout the day in 10 minute intervals) to exercise.

YouTube has a variety of demonstrations of short exercise routines; view one for ideas and proper form.  If you like fitness videos, rent them or check them out of the library prior to purchasing them. Doing so will allow you to try before you buy. If you want to purchase some exercise equipment, do your research, try it out in the stores more than once, try it in the gym, and visit resale stores like Play it Again Sports for deals.  And if you decide it's best to join a gym, be sure to choose one on your regular route, if possible. You will be more likely to go if you do not have to make a "special trip."  Also, speak to a wellness coordinator for free tips and get a trial membership before committing to a long term contract.

Enjoy exercises through activities with family and friends. A nice walk in the park or along the beach, a family bike ride, a friendly game of tennis, a morning swim, or just running around with the kids are all good ways to enjoy exercise and life. Try something active today.

This will get you started.  Start and keep moving…your life just may depend on it.

Disclaimer: This information should be used only with the approval of and in conjunction with professional advice from your physician or other certified health coordinator.

A Brand New Way - Today!

JANUARY

THE FRESH START

Happy New Year! It is that time of year again. It's time for a fresh start, a brand new beginning.  At the beginning of each new year, we make resolutions, promises to ourselves of how we will live differently…better.  Most of the resolutions are: to become more spiritual, to be nicer, to live life with more vigor, and the number one resolution is to lose weight/become more fit!

But! Yes, there is a but! We never start those resolutions on the first day of the year!  How ironic is that?  We promise ourselves a fresh start, but it has to wait for the holiday to end.  Well, let's kick off this year right. We have devised a much easier way to encourage your goals for healthier living. We know that it takes about 21-28 days to change a habit. This year, we will tackle monthly issues using a four-pronged approach: 1)Theme and Challenge, 2)Fitness and Exercise, 3) Diet and Nutrition, and 4)What's in your BAG? Each month, we will focus on a healthy theme, issue a monthly health challenge to establish good behaviors, and distribute weekly advice to help you with your goals. We may throw in some additional tips, facts, and suggestions along the way.

This month, we will focus on getting a fresh start. We suggest realistic goal setting with a plan to successfully achieve those goals.  Your new start is waiting, a brand new beginning is upon you, and a healthier life is in your reach! Guess what? You don't have to miss out on anything except starting anew, so start today!

MONTHLY CHALLENGE: JOURNALING FOR A BETTER LIFE! 

This month's challenge is to journal your behaviors - nutrition, exercise, etc. It is important to understand our current behaviors so we can make appropriate changes. So, start with a simple journal. You don't have to get any special books or software. Just use a plain notebook or your word processing software on your computer to jot down your current behaviors, emotions, issues, and desires.

Goal 1 - Track your nutrition.  It is easy to go on a "diet," but we think you should scramble the word and "edit" your nutrition. In order to do so properly and with success,  you must write down your intake and read it. It doesn't have to be a time-consuming exercise. Because you need to list your daily intake, some folks find it easier to take a picture (cell phone, camera, computer, etc.) of your food before you eat and again once you're done eating to capture the moment. Then, at the end of the day or week, write it up in the journal.  Jot down notes about how the food made you feel and any physical or physiological reactions to it. If you really want to advance your goals, calculate the calories and nutritional values of the food consumed.  Since pictures don't lie, the visual documentation will also help you stay true to your journaling process.

Goal 2 - Track your exercise.  We are all busy bustling around about our day as we work, go to school, see after the kids, make dinner, go to church, etc. And we end the day exhausted! So, exercise? What? Are you serious? Who has time for that? I get exercise because I'm on the go all day! Sounds familiar? In this world of technology, you will find that we do not walk or move nearly as much as we did nor as much as we think we do. So, find out just how much time and energy you expend moving about. Write down your daily physical actions. Don't forget cleaning. Cleaning can oftentimes add up to quite a few calories burned. Write it down and at the end of the week or month, calculate the calories burned.  I am sure you will find that you are not burning enough calories to lose weight or perhaps even to maintain your current weight. And even more importantly, you are not getting enough cardio-intensive exercise to maintain a healthy heart and body systems.

Goal 3 - Track your non-physical health. Diet and exercise are major keys to healthy living. However, mental and emotional health are equally important. Emotions can encourage as well as sabotage any plan for healthier living. So, track your emotions, stressors, and triggers throughout the month. Notice if there are specific times of the month, special events, or behaviors that are abnormal and if any adverse health impacts result from them. If so, identifying those times will help you plan a better strategy to deal with them.  But don't just focus on the negative, identify the good times too. Doing so will allow you to better understand your inner and personal joy. Those are times we like to replicate.

So, set pen to paper or fingers to keys…write or type…journal your way to a better you. Your life just may depend on it!