Why just 8th March, we should be celebrating every day of the year as International Women’s day. Specially as women’s health day. But this is not possible till women manage to shake off a common malady they suffer from – one that is not listed anywhere, and foxes everyone including the doctors and psychologists. This disorder is actually a very Indian phenomenon and doesn’t spare anyone (all ages, regions, religions, castes…), not even highly successful women, ruling in their chosen work spaces. I see them succumbing, and going down like nine pins too.
Now this strange disorder has no name yet, but I like to call it ‘I’ll put myself last’. Simply translated: my needs matter the least. What is worse is that we women are guilty of inflicting it upon ourselves. No one tells us to do it (at least not overtly), not our husband, or our children or even our mothers; we tell ourselves that this is how it should be.
Simple Steps to Stay Fit, Healthy and Happy
On this International Women’s Day, I am going to ask you to get out of this (‘I’ll put myself last’) mode and begin putting yourselves first – at home and at workplace. And to help you do this I am listing five simple things that you need to set in motion – starting today. Simple steps that’ll boost your health substantially and also change how you feel.
Face your stresses, make a choice to be resilient
First, stop letting stress be your roadblock. Now you can’t just cut stress off from your life but you can learn to manage it. We all have our work/emotional/family/society led anxieties, duresses and angsts. But we all also have the resilience and will power to face and solve these pressures. Women are known to be ace problem solvers (there are enough surveys stating this). Now use this skill for your own benefit. Face your stresses – everyone has a fair share of them – and beat them square.
Don’t use food as crutch
And whatever you do, don’t use food as a crutch, or your stress relief solution. Because food ain’t that at all! Eating excess doesn’t solve anything. Trust me attacking that cheese cake (or that samosa) won’t make your son listen to you. It won’t magically get you more hours in a day to finish off all the work or get you a better appraisal. It won’t help your daughter to get more marks in the board exams. And it definitely won’t make your boss or your mother in law disappear.
I’ll tell you what it’ll do though.
It’ll add one more stress to your life – and an extra tyre around your waist. And then you’ll fret and stress about that and eat more – so the cycle will continue.
Sleep before midnight
Second, please sleep enough. Get in the bed latest by 10.30 PM and definitely snooze off before midnight. This is important to let the healing hormones do their job. Say bye to channel surfing please, and closet cleaning and that presentation can (must) also wait. Also yes your husband can heat up the food (microwave remember!!!) and eat if he is coming in late. You need to conserve your energy, and refresh for another taxing day that will begin when you wake up the next day. Tomorrow won’t be any less challenging than today. And you know that.
Here, I must tell you that most modern day lifestyle diseases have their origin in the hormonal mess up that happens because of sleep debt (not sleeping enough) and sleeping late. It is also the biggest known fatigue booster, memory cutter and efficiency buster.
Quit Fad Diets – they don’t work!
Third, quit running after fad diets. They don’t work. They wont deliver you what you want – a thin waist and lower weight. Also trust me if you’ll focus just on weight loss, you’ll get nothing – no weight loss and no health gain. Instead love your body enough to ensure enough nutrition. Focus on eating good food and your weight will take care of itself. If weight is bothering you then just cut down on salt and sugar intake to bare minimum. And instead of googling for the next big weight loss idea – just control your portions, and take out time for a zumba (pilates) class or a nice long solitary walk. This could be your ‘me time’, and is thus great for your soul too.
Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer
Fourth, take care of your heart. I have news for you. Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer today. And we have only our lifestyles to blame for it. Educate yourself about it. For example did you know that the symptoms for a heart attack tend to be different in women… Please take care of your heart – your family, and all your aspirations, dreams and future plans live in it.
Some simple rules to live by:
Avoid vanaspati (trans fatty acids), decrease refined oil content in your diet (skewed omega 3 and omega 6 ratio is responsible for most lifestyle diseases today), add some ghee and coconut oil to score good fats.
Eat 20-30 gms of unsalted, non fried nuts or seeds everyday. These promote healthy lipid levels in the blood.
If you are a non-vegetarian, try to eat more of fish. Eat lean meats.
Eat home cooked food as fresh food is richer in nutrients, in antioxidants, vitamins and micronutrients when compared to preserved (and packaged) food. Plus daily cooking allows for variety, ensures that seasonal fresh fruits and vegetable get consumed and we also eat less salt and less preservatives.
Embrace Holistic Living, Quit Multitasking
Fifth, love yourself. Switch to a holistic way of living. Holistic living is first and foremost about maintaining a balance – in life. Or at least trying to! Try to consciously maintain a balance – in everything – what you eat, how much you exercise – both structured as well as non structured (you know moving about, fetching groceries from the market, window shopping in the mall), and also how much work you do. Also quit multitasking too much. Live how people used to live till even a couple of decades back – unaffected, undistracted and mindful of everything they were doing; completely focussed on one thing at a time.
Make your own health a priority woman, as no one else with do it for you. Please learn to put yourself first.
Kavita Devgan is a nutritionist, weight management consultant, speaker and health columnist based in Delhi. She is also the author of Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People. Her next book is due out in May 2018.
