WOMEN’S HEALTH
Women’s Health begins and ends with self-love.
Self-love motivates us to do the things we need to do to stay healthy, no matter where we are in the journey of life. Whether you are a young adult woman, a middle-aged woman, or an older adult woman.
What is Self-Love?
Self-love is self-sustaining…the opposite of selfish. Women are typically nurturers and caretakers. Yet, to remain healthy, we must first nurture and care for ourselves. The airlines remind us of that in an emergency, “Put your own oxygen mask on first before you help anyone else…”
There are four components of self-love: self-care, healthy eating, exercise, and social connection. Let’s look at each of these.
Self-Care
Adequate sleep is most important here. Sleep helps us repair our bodies physically and reset us mentally.
Self-care is having healthy outlets for stress in our lives such as getting out in nature, meditating, doing yoga, tai chi, dancing, drawing/coloring, or listening to relaxing music.
Getting a massage is great, too!
Healthy Eating
Eating nutritiously with lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and protein.
Exercise
Developing and maintaining core strength, maintaining bone strength (weight training is great for this), and working on balance and coordination (yoga, tai chi and pilates).
Social Connection
Spending time with family and friends, making new friends by taking classes, engaging in activities with others, and joining a fitness center. (like PFP!)
Small Changes
How do we do all this with our busy schedules? Start small! And be kind to yourself. Small, gradual changes make for more sustainability. If you falter, pick yourself up and try again.
Remember, jealth is the state of physical, mental, and social well-being that allows us to live more fully and be more resilient.
If you need help establishing a health routine, schedule a fitness assessment through PFP’s Get Started page. Have a healthful month!
About the Author:
A Pittsburgh native and graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Joan Mavrinac is a practicing Emergency Medicine physician and Pediatrician with over 3 decades of experience caring for patients of all ages in many of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Departments. She also has a background in Public Health.
Joan has always been into health and fitness. Before starting to work in the ER, while she was running her first Pittsburgh 10K, she helped to perform CPR on another runner. That runner survived to run in the next 10K with a better time than Joan!
Except for her sweet-tooth, Joan has always lived a healthy, active lifestyle. She loves to play tennis, hike, bike, and weight train. She has had the opportunity to travel all over the world and care for patients in other countries, including Peru and India.
To destress, she takes walks in nature, meditates, gets a massage at the PFP, practices Tai Chi, plays the piano, and paints. She paints in all sorts of mediums, from oil to watercolor. She paints all sorts of topics, from landscapes to abstract paintings, and often paints the Pittsburgh skyline. Examples of two of her paintings are below.
