Expert Physicians Encourage Moms to Focus on Their Health

May, 2011 - Being a mom isn't easy, but somebody's got to do it. In today's society, mothers take on many different roles, and in most households, they're the glue that keeps the family together. Unfortunately, this care-taker role usually leads to women neglecting their own needs - this especially holds true for their health. In light of Mother's Day, BodyLogicMD-affiliated physicians are empowering women to put themselves first, by offering some tips on how mothers can prioritize their health and wellness needs.

"A common issue that I see in many of my female patients is that they're not putting themselves first," shares Dr. Benita Swartout, Medical Director of BodyLogicMD of Nashville. "When we set some time aside for ourselves and take that occasional break from the daily grind, we give our bodies a chance to recharge for the next wave. Even though we may think of ourselves as being superheroes, it's important to remember that we're only human and there's only so much that we can do."

According to Dr. Swartout, many women tend to downplay or even ignore health issues altogether. While this John Wayne mentality may seem more like a male characteristic, it's actually more common for women to grin and bear it than men.

Here are some ways for women to prioritize their health:

• Get your hormones tested. As women age, hormones begin to decline. Low levels of progesterone and estrogen, as experienced in women going through menopause or perimenopause, can cause a wide range of symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, irritability, low libido and difficulty sleeping. In addition to these symptoms, hormonal imbalance also increases a woman's risk of serious medical conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Once you have a baseline profile of your hormone levels, a hormone expert - a physician who is highly trained in bioidentical hormones and functional medicine - can help you regain balance using natural hormone replacement therapy.
• Stay active. You're never too busy to exercise. While going to gym regularly may not be feasible for your busy schedule, there are many different ways that women can stay fit on the go. It's also important to incorporate both, cardio and resistance training into your workout to get the full range of benefits. In addition to helping you lose weight, cardiovascular fitness works wonders for the heart and significantly reduces a women's risk of developing atherosclerosis and other heart-related conditions. Resistance training on the other hand, can also help with weight loss and building lean muscle mass. Additionally, resistance training helps improve bone strength and prevents osteoporosis-related fractures later in life.
• Eat right. If you want to look good and feel good, you have to eat well. Eating well means making sure that you're eating a well-rounded balance of nutrient-rich foods. Processed foods should be kept to a minimum, if not avoided altogether. Many of these foods are high in sugars and trans fats and are riddled with hormone-mimicking chemicals that build up in our bodies over time. It's also important to remember that your diet should vary with age. As we age, our bodies are exposed to several extreme factors that can accelerate oxidation. A good remedy for this is eating a diet high in antioxidants. Antioxidants help rid the body of harmful free radicals that can make you look and feel older than you actually are.
• Don't forget to breathe. Stress is an ever-present problem in today's society. By holding ourselves to unreasonable expectations and biting off more than we can chew, we're actually accelerating the body's natural aging process. The cascading effects of stress precipitate into nearly every aspect of our existence. When this happens, it's called chronic stress. The main problem with chronic stress is that it's a never-ending cycle. The effects of chronic stress are cumulative and they build up over time. It's important for women to take some time to de-stress and find some healthy ways to flush out the negative energy. This doesn't have to mean meditation or deep breathing exercises. It can be as simple as taking a walk or reading a book - basically, anything that relaxes or helps put you at ease.

"There is no excuse to let your health fall by the wayside," stresses Dr. Swartout. "For all the super-moms out there, make sure that you're taking some time out of each day for yourself. The responsibilities that come along with being a mom can get a little overwhelming, but it's important that moms don't forget that their most important responsibility of all is taking care of themselves."