Women’s Health Tips

With the surplus of new health trends currently circulating, it’s easy to lose sight of the basics. Staying healthy requires a balance of important factors like nutrition, exercise, stress management and weight management. Use the information below as a general guide to get you started, then consult your physician to help you create a detailed plan for achieving your specific health and fitness goals.

Nutrition

Diet and exercise recommendations are often given in very general terms. While there are some basic guidelines which apply to everyone, women often have different health needs than men. Stress, pregnancy and fluctuating hormone and nutrient levels throughout the lifetime can all have different effects on a woman’s health.

A well-balanced diet including proper portion sizes and a good variety of foods is a key factor in women’s health. Good food choices can help you lose weight, relieve stress and avoid serious health problems like high blood pressure and heart disease. For helpful information about serving sizes and the Food Guide Pyramid, check out our Healthy Ideas Nutrition Tips section.

As a supplement to good eating habits, women should also consider taking a daily multiple vitamin to ensure that the body receives adequate amounts of essential minerals. Choosing a daily vitamin that contains the five most important nutrients for women, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and vitamins C and E, can decrease a woman’s risk for diseases such as cancer, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.

Exercise

A proper diet alone is not enough to maintian a healthy lifestyle. Women also need regular exercise which, together with good eating habits, will increase metabolism, provide more energy thoroughout the day and help prevent the development of osteoporosis.

A good workout plan should include a combination of cardiovascular exercise and strength training, each performed four times per week in 20–30 minute sessions. Warming up with light aerobic activity and ending with stretching exercises is also necessary to help prevent injury. The most important thing to remember is that exercise doesn’t have to be strenuous in order for you to see results, but it does need to be consistent.

Pregnancy

A woman’s health needs vary greatly during pregnancy. Daily Calorie intake should be increased and exercise should be continued in a more moderate form. Pregnancy exercise classes can help you stay in shape, lower your risk of miscarriage, possibly reduce labor complications and help you recover more quickly after your baby is born. In addition to a daily multiple vitamin, a prenatal vitamin should be consumed in order to provide folic acid which can help prevent birth defects.

Alcohol is among the most common known causes of harm to the fetus, so avoid drinking as much as possible. First- and second-hand smoke are also extremely damaging to the baby and should also be avoided. Caffeine consumption should be kept at a moderate level, as large amounts can increase the risk of a miscarriage. Drinking water instead will keep you hydrated and decrease common pregnancy discomforts like swelling and constipation.