This week Her Campus is celebrating National Women’s Health Week! This is the third year that Her Campus co-founders are the official sponsors for this important cause. National Women’s Health Week emphasizes the need for women to live healthier lives so that they can feel stronger both mentally and physically.
What is National Women’s Health Week?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health is commemorating its 16th annual National Women’s Health Week. Not only does the week encourage women to focus on their health, but it also provides women of all ages with suggestions for improving their mental and physical health.
This week women are being urged to take the National Women’s Health Week pledge which involves promising to take at least one step to live healthier lives. Women can also spread this positive message and promote the week using the #NWHW. More passionate supporters of this week can organize events or activities that can help women begin to lead healthier lives.
What can you do to celebrate?
It is easy in college to put work and classes ahead of your health. However, if you are not mentally and physically healthy then that will negatively affect your performance and attitude while in college. Sometimes it might seem hard to become a healthier person, but it will definitely be worth it.
Start off with simple steps such as choosing to eat a couple of healthy snacks during the day or trying to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. As college students, we do not have a lot of free time, but trying to exercise at least 30 minutes a day does not only help to maintain a healthy weight, but also increases energy! All of these easy steps will require dedication but making the effort to be a healthier person will be a lifelong reward.
What am I doing to celebrate?
I admit I had not been taking care of my body as much as I should have been this year. Although I have thankfully avoided the freshman 15, there are other steps I would like to take to become a healthier person. Recently I have been trying to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night and eat fewer foods that contain a lot of sugar and fat.
To celebrate this week, I have decided to go to the gym at least three times this week. I have been saying the entire year that I wanted to start going to gym each day to build my strength. Until now, I have not started acting on that goal. (With the gym being literally 10 steps from my dorm, I figured it was time to stop making excuses.) I plan to keep taking yoga and barre classes for the rest of the year, and purchase a gym membership this summer.
Don’t be fooled by the title of this week. I encourage everyone, male and female, to set goals for themselves this week and to continue to achieve those healthy goals each day. And remember, health does not only entail working out but could also include steps such as getting your blood pressure checked or finding the right birth control for your body if you are sexually active.
Taking good care of your body can only to lead to fantastic results!
**Images from giphy.com and girltalkhq.com