Do It For Your Family, Do It For Yourself....Just Do It!

 

 

We are about to get personal here, so get ready.

 

October is national Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As many of you know, I worked for the American Cancer Society for seven years, so I came to know professionally and personally how important this month is for a woman's health.

 

Today, let's talk about mammograms.  The American Cancer Society, and my own physician, recommends that healthy women with no family history of breast cancer start getting annual mammograms at age 40. Actually, I had my first one at age 36 because my doctor wanted some images on file to compare with, when I did turn 40. I've just had my third mammogram this year.

 

Let me address the reputation of mammograms. I've always heard that they are painful and most women dread having one done. In my experience, this annual visit is no more unpleasant than a routine trip to the dentist. I've never dreaded it, or had a painful experience. Granted, with all the tugging and smashing, I'm sure it's a little more unpleasant for my smaller-chested friends. Bonus for the big-boobed ladies, I guess!

 

The whole mammogram visit literally takes about 20 minutes. It's over and done, with results coming in the mail about a week later. Better to get checked out than avoid it and have to find out about a problem when it's too advanced.

 

Which leads me to my next point. DO NOT PUT IT OFF! Ladies, I beg you. My sweet mother-in-law went for her very first mammogram when she was the ripe old age of 70. Yes, SEVENTY! And guess what they found? Breast cancer. She told me once that she never had a mammogram sooner because she didn't think she needed one. She battled that cancer on and off for seven years, before it finally got the best of her. I can't help but wonder if her quality of life would have been better if she'd had regular mammograms.

 

Here's one thing I learned from my work at ACS; mark your calendar for every October. Start your mammograms now, this month, so you will never forget. Every October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the month of your mammogram. Do it now, for your loved ones and for yourself. If you are afraid, call me; I will go with you.

 

Here is a great article called 7 Things to Know About Getting a Mammogram, that will tell you what you need to prepare for.

 

Have a Heart! Go Red on Friday!

Did you know that February is national Heart Month? Not just because it's the month of love...but the month of healthy heart awareness, too! 

Here are some interesting heart facts from my friends at the American Heart Association, where I'm a social media ambassador for them. Coincidentally, heart health and stroke awareness is our #NWARKCares blogger group focus for this month as well...so I'll be getting lots of social media help from my bloggy friends on this one.

• Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, and is more deadly than all forms of cancer combined. 

• When it comes to beating heart diseases and stroke, change can be the cure.  

• Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death for Hispanic women, killing nearly 21,000 annually. Make an appointment today to learn your risk. https://www.goredforwomen.org/well-woman-visit/well-woman-visit/ 

• Cardiovascular disease knows no borders. Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, remains the leading global cause of death with more than 17.3 million deaths each year. That number is expected to rise to more than 23.6 million by 2030. 

How can you get involved in Heart Month? 

One way is very easy! Tomorrow, February 5, join me with the American Heart Association and Northwest Arkansas Bloggers to wear red to show your support for the movement to end heart disease and stroke in women. It’s not just a man’s disease! Learn more: http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday 

Post a selfie of yourself wearing red on Friday and join the awareness! Use hashtags #NWAheart and #NWAGoRed

Here's the link for more Go Red information.

A Challenging Challenge

You know those little mind games you play with yourself? Oh, like "today I will quit eating sweets" or "starting tomorrow I will eat more vegetables?"  Come on, it can't just be me.  I do it all the time.

I've been trying to get in shape since forever. Well, really since the twins were born almost four years ago. But, let's face it, with three kids and a full-time job outside the home, the time and energy just aren't there--especially when the kids weren't sleeping through the night. I would start to exercise, do it for a couple of weeks, then just quit. It's always easier to quit.

I've always been (a little bit) athletic, but I wouldn't call myself an "athlete." I like to be active and actually enjoy some kinds of exercise. But again, time is not on my side. I work all day and then go home and work half the night; I'm tired. I know that some people will think that's just an excuse, and maybe it is, but that's my reality at this point in my life.

 

But something happened last month that got me motivated. I started keeping up with my friend Jasmine and how she set a goal for herself to run 50 miles in March. Now, first let me say this...Jasmine is in waaaay better shape than me; she plays roller derby and she runs.  I don't run and never have. My body just wasn't made for running. But I started watching her and, oops!, got a little bit inspired by her determination.

 

So I decided that I would challenge myself. I know that 50 miles of anything besides driving is unrealistic for me, but I decided to go for 30 miles in the month of April. For me, the miles will be mostly walking, but I have worked up to running a little bit--actually more than I ever have in my life. 

Here we are at the mid-point of the month and I've clocked 16.5 miles so far. It looks like I'm gonna make it! So, what am I doing?

 

For me, the exercise window is very small. I prefer to get the workout done first thing in the morning, while I still have full energy. Problem is that I'm home alone with the kiddos, so the exercise has to be indoors at home. Hello, 4:50am alarm! Another problem is that I like to sleep, so that 4:50am thing doesn't always work for me. Morning walks/jogs happen at 5:00am so I have time to get us all ready to go before 8:00am. I can realistically squeeze in two miles in the mornings. Weekends are more flexible with Lee at home, and now that it's getting warmer, I prefer to be outside.

 

Now that I've gone all public with my challenge, I hope this motivates me to stick with it. If I hit the 30 mark for April, then I plan to up the mileage for May. I'm feeling good about my progress, now I just hope that I start to see some results from all the hard work.