By: Jean Johnson for Fibroids1How many young women do you know who have rounded the bend of 30 but still think they are sweet young 20-somethings with stars in their eyes and cheeks the color of roses? Or, how many do you know over the big hill of 60 who are in denial about elder-hood?
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Live Healthy for a Lifetime
The Oregon Health and Sciences University Center for Women’s Health offers the following tips for women regardless of age:
Exercise on a regular basis
Emphasize a well-rounded diet
Don’t smoke or abuse drugs
Manage stress
Practice safe sex
Avoid over-exposure to the sun
Have regular breast exams and get regular medical check-ups
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“What folly?” we say – those pathetic souls who are unwilling to age naturally and gracefully. How glad we are that we don’t fall prey to such foolishness. Good thing, as Garrison Keillor would say, that we are so much more sensible than those other people. While all is well if you’re in the group of stalwarts, but should you take a teeny dive into the wishful thinking realm, come along on our exploration of a novel way to approach health, women and aging.
After all, as our dear Mr. Keillor (not to mention William Shakespeare and Mark Twain) so well understands, we’re just human beings with all the usual foibles. Without some clear direction it’s easy to get lost and think time hasn’t marched on.
So let’s lace up our sneakers ladies. There’s a race afoot. Think of it like going on an adventure. Like planning the trip of lifetime…
Mapping out Life’s Trip with Health in Mind
Rather than wander in circles without a guide, having a map that shows where one’s headed and where one’s been can be instructive. Even more, marking a journey off into segments can make for good perspective. The process can also foster solid, reasonable insights to keep up good health that might otherwise escape us in the emotional-laden din of day to day doings.
In particular we like the Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) Center for Women’s Health approach. Within the progressive research setting of the medical school, the Center for Women’s Health in Portland, Ore., works to offer patients and the community cutting-edge, proactive approaches to managing health and aging gracefully. They divided a woman’s life into four discrete segments, complete with nine wellness tips focused on aging stages. We think they’ve done a first-rate job and hope you find their ideas useful.
Ages 20 through 35
First on the Center’s list for the younger women is exercising – especially on a regular basis. Start this habit now for a lifetime of fitness and the feeling of well-being that comes from ramping up those endorphins and sending messages to yourself that you’re worth the 30 minutes, five days a week for an exercise routine.
Sex, of course, comes next on the priorities, and the Center for Women’s Health recommends the safe variety and condom use. But “the best thing you can do to avoid sexually transmitted disease,” the literature states, “is to limit your sexual activity to one partner.”
Third, fourth, and fifth on the chart focuses on eating a well-rounded diet, consuming alcohol in moderation, steering clear of tobacco and drugs, as well as avoiding overexposure to the sun. “Ultraviolet (UV) radiation can cause skin cancer, which accounts for more than 40 percent of all cancer cases. Use sunscreen. Wear protective clothing.”
Tips six, seven and nine clearly revolve around young womanhood: Have regular breast exams, pap tests and prepare for pregnancy by exercising, eating well, taking prenatal vitamins, meeting with a physician and learning about birth defects.
Finally, managing stress makes the eighth slot on OHSU’s Center for Women’s Health list. Like exercising and eating from the non-processed food chain where the whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits are to be found, learning to manage stress in healthy ways while still young can establish patterns that will repay handsomely throughout life’s journey. Here, of course, the payoff is way more than simply keeping disease at bay or living longer – it’s about feeling good while we’re here. It’s about keeping our systems running as smoothly and efficiently as we can so that when we rise in the morning our hearts are open to the sun – to others.
Ages 36 through 50
All that sunshine stuff might work for the younger crowd, but what happens when we not only start pushing 40, but 50 arrives as well? Not to fret, say the good women’s healthcare providers at OHSU. Just get with the program, that’s all.
On their number one tip to exercise, they write, “Schedule regular exercise time in an activity you enjoy so that you’ll want to exert yourself.” Find a friend to walk with or bicycle through town. Make it as fun as you can, they say. Stay motivated.
The second tip for women in this age group zeros right in on the change and the advice is “come to terms with menopause.” Pretty simple. Get the literature. See the physician. Come to terms.
The rest of the tips for middle age women mirror those for younger ladies with the exception of extra comment on diet, breast exams and stress management.
“Women’s metabolisms slow in their 30s; establish or maintain good eating habits” with an abundance of “fresh foods” all the while “monitoring sodium and fat intake.”
On breast care issues, the tip is to “conduct self-exams once a month, being attentive to even the smallest abnormalities in texture and form.” And with regard to emotions: “Stress can lead to high blood pressure and greater susceptibility to depression. Allow yourself downtime, eat a healthful diet.”
Ages 51 through 65
Big changes loom ahead as those of us fortunate enough to live long lives move through the high side of middle age and into our senior years. Exercise and diet tips at this stage focus on keeping weight under control and staying active. “Post-menopause can make it harder than ever for women to maintain an active lifestyle, [so] manage caloric intake and avoid sedentary habits.”
The Center also, along with practicing safe sex and being aware of depression, urges women of this age to “learn about the common symptoms of menopause to understand and manage your body’s changes.” As well, it encourages regular medical checkups including screening for osteoporosis and cancers because “physical and emotional changes bring increased risk of a number of diseases.”
Along with continuing to shun tobacco and drugs, getting an annual pap test, watching for signs of skin cancer and “combating stress by managing conflicting priorities” (as in learning to say ‘no’), the Center focuses on heart disease.
“Cardiovascular disease remains far and away the number one cause of female deaths. Know your family cardiovascular health history [and] monitor cholesterol and blood pressure.”
Ages 66 and Older
OK, here we go, the last leg of the journey – where the cycle loops back around on itself. A time of softening. A time of reflection. And as the Center reminds us, a time to stay vigilant and as nurturing as we might be for a young child.
That said, if you anticipated the responsibility of exercising fading away, no such luck – thus the importance of finding activities enjoyable enough to engage in over the long haul. The Center puts it even more emphatically in its top tip: “Mental and physical exercise will help keep you independent and active for as long as possible… Join interest groups – don’t overexert yourself.”
Additionally, the usual focus on eating a well-rounded diet, practicing safe sex and managing stress is underscored as is continuing to be aware of heart diseases and deciding whether to continue getting pap tests.
New territory during this phase of life gets more into how to protect one’s increasingly fragile health. “Organize medications using a written schedule and a pill organizer,” and “get flu and pneumonia shots [since] susceptibility to these disease and their worst effects increases over 65.”
Finally, OHSU’s Center for Women’s Health tells women over 66 years that they can “maintain independence by keeping your various senses sharp” and thus need to monitor teeth, hearing and vision regularly. The literature also encourages female elders to “watch for skin cancer and osteoporosis” along with getting “regular screenings for colon and breast cancer.”
A Woman’s Life – A Precious Thing
At one fell sweep, the above suggestions can seem like a major to-do list. Even more “shoulds” in already busy lives circumscribed by more responsibilities than we ever thought possible.
But when we stop and really ponder our lives, what is it that we value in the final analysis? What brings genuine happiness?
While the answer might not be as simple as taking care of ourselves as best we can along the journey, we think it’s not far off. No matter what our health baseline, the thought that we care enough to take steps everyday to ratchet the quality of our experience up to its optimum has major implications. It says we care. It says we are grateful for our lives and appreciate the gift of our bodies.
So, see you on the mountain path. Here’s to an adventure that brings joy, peace and love...
