National Women’s Health Week: It's your amazing time to shine!

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Are you a woman who instinctively puts your own needs last? Are you a mom, a daughter, a coworker, a friend, a wife, a nurturer who takes care of everyone else but feels selfish taking care of yourself? Do you feel bad about your weight, your fitness level, or the way you haven’t been to the doctor in more than a year?

I have something special to tell you about. It’s a week, an entire week, dedicated to you. You NEED this week. And you have time to get ready for it.

National Women’s Health Week wants to make your health a top priority. It’s May 9-15, 2010. That’s the week that begins with Mother’s Day, which is perfect since moms are often the ones who need the biggest break in their routine.

So what happens during National Women’s Health Week, which is coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health?
One of the biggest and most powerful events is something you can make arrangements for right now: National Women’s Checkup Day. It’s Monday, May 10. The entire day is dedicated to encouraging women to visit their health care professionals to schedule or receive a checkup.

You can take a pledge online that is a commitment to a healthier you. Just click on your state here and promise yourself that you will schedule an appointment. It counts how many women in each state has signed up (right now, California, Texas, Florida and New York are leading). And you’ll get a really cool certificate showing your pledge that you can print out and hang somewhere to remind you that YOU are important. Here’s what it looks like:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/check-up-day/pledge-certificate.pdf

Has it been a long time since you’ve gone? No matter. This is the day to inspire you. Find the number for your doctor’s office, call for an appointment, and promise yourself that you’ll schedule the tests you need – Pap tests, mammograms, cholesterol screenings or anything else. That nagging feeling you’ve had about one thing or another? Get it checked out. YOU are the priority this week.

Womenshealth.gov even has an interactive screening chart that tells you what tests and screenings a woman needs at each age. Here’s a link:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/health-resources/screening-tool/

And after you’ve made your appointment, there are events all over the country that you can participate in, just because you’re important. Some last a week, some last a month. The listing includes such things as:
-- diabetes screenings
-- 30-day fitness challenges
-- health fairs
-- the YWCA “It’s Your Time” Walking Challenge
-- free HIV testing
-- health seminars for all ages (including teenagers)
-- baby massage classes
-- heart-healthy cooking classes
-- midlife stress and the working woman
-- money workshops
-- and honestly, just about anything else you can think of that might interest you, on a national basis. Here’s the listing of events that are scheduled so far. Just click on your state and on “All Events” and then click on “Go”:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/events/

Inspired? Awesome!!!

Inspired so much that you want to get your own group involved? Even better! Just explore this page, it will help you set up and register your own event:
http://www.womenshealth.gov/whw/activity-planning/

And there’s more. One of the coolest things kicking off during Women’s Health Week is the Woman Challenge. It’s for those of us who want to change our lives – for real – but we need a jump-start to get us motivated and keep us moving.
The Woman Challenge is an 8-week physical activity challenge that encourages women to get at least:

•2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity
or
•1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity
or
•A combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity
and
•Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days

And to help you keep track of your progress and keep your motivation high, you can use the Woman Activity Tracker, where you set your own goal, keep track of your activities and even earn awards:

http://www.womenshealth.gov/woman/

So just think about it for a minute. Make this your own New Year’s Resolution. Start by taking the Checkup Day pledge, and make your appointment. (Do it quick! The appointments that day may be filling up already with women just like you!)

Then explore the Woman Activity Tracker, and think about a goal that would be all yours. Print out your certificate, sign it, and put it somewhere where you – and the family – will see it and be reminded of the fact that this is a priority for you.

Spread the word, with e-cards you can send to friends to get them similarly inspired.

And then shine!

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.