Guess what I spent 2 hours of my day doing today?   Those hours were spent in one of the women’s restrooms in the Wilkinson Center on campus.  What was I doing there?  Oh right, observing and secretly stalking girls who did and did not wash their hands.  (Don’t worry, I didn’t do this for fun…it was for another class project)!  It was pretty gross chillin’ in the bathroom that long, but what was even nastier were the my results.  Okay, I’ll give the women at BYU more credit than that, there were more washed hands than not, but the fact that there were  EVEN SOME hands not washed was a little disturbing to me! 

My results: 79 girls total came into the restroom over a period of 2 hours.  40 of them washed their hands for 10 seconds or longer with soap.  25 of them washed their hands with soap for less than 10 seconds.  14 of them didn’t wash their hands at all.  Bless those 14 girls’ hearts…they’re gonna need it.

     The CDC recommends scrubbing your hands for 15-20 seconds (singing happy birthday twice).  While observing today, I saw very few women who got to 15 seconds.  This is a huge issue!  Chosing to wash your hands with hot water and soap for 15-20 seconds can so easily help prevent the spread of H1N1, seasonal flu, colds, coughs, bacteria from going to the bathroom, etc… It isn’t fair for me to get sick because someone else decided that they didn’t have 15-20 seconds to wash their hands.    Washing hands not only does the washer good, but is common courtesy for others. 

      If  this awesome clip does not persuade you to wash your hands, I don’t know what will.  What I do know is that I want the soundtrack 🙂

...Nothing like being in the stirups!

      Recently the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommended that young women can hold off until age 21 before getting their first Pap smear.  They also said that for women to get them every two years  through the rest of their 20s, instead of  the original rule which was annually.  A Pap smear is a test done in women to check for the HPV virus that can cause cervical cancer.  Originally a pap smear was to be done 3 years after a woman became sexually active or turned 21, which ever came first.  The ACOG claims that the risk of cervical cancer occurring in young women is quite low, hence the new recommendation.  Not only has the age for pap smears changed recently, but also for a mammogram test.  Women are encouraged to not get a mammogram at age 40 anymore, but to wait until they are 50.  All of these recent changes make me wonder…”So much for repeatedly telling women to get tested for cervical and breast cancer at a certain age.” 

     I guess the docs and nurses know what they are talking about, and it is our job as women to trust them.   I work at the BYU Student Health Center and assist on many Pap smears and breast exams daily, so it will be interesting to see if women heed this new counsel.

Check out this other article on Pap smear testing 🙂

It is worth it to be the cook!!

      What to have for Dinner?  This question puzzles me everyday about 3:00pm when I start getting hungry for that wonderful meal.  I bet it doesn’t only puzzle me, but most other women who have a kitchen!  When I was a little girl, my mom was so awesome about having a healthy, and well balanced dinner for my family every night.  Her meals were simple, but yummy!  I want to continue that tradition with my own family, but it is hard to think of something healthy and different every night! 

Darling!

     Having a healthy diet that is balanced not only gives your body energy throughout the day, but is essential for both women and men.  When women have a chance of getting pregnant, it is especially important for them to be sure that they consume meals that contain adequate nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. 

     Recently my older sister showed me this awesome blog called My Kitchen Cafe.  It has tons of recipes that this darling gal has collected throughout the years.  (My husband and I made these delicious brownies from it last night…not the healthiest thing to make)!  I like this blog because there are so many categories to choose from that could apply to breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Not only can you use this blog, but there are TONS of other websites or blogs out there that have the best recipes!  Hopefully with blogs and websites like My Kitchen Cafe, the question, “What to have for dinner,” will become easier to answer!

Here are some other wonderful sources to help you make healthy and yummy meals:

1. Eating on the Run

2. The Food Nanny (I have the book, and it is awesome!)

3. Family Fun

Also, check out this blog that has super cute aprons!  Having a cute apron on while you cook makes it 10 times better 🙂

zzzzzzzzzzzz....

     Do you ladies ever have those nights whenyou go to bed early because you need a goods night rest, but end up laying in bed for 2 hours not being able to fall asleep?  What about the nights where your To-Do-List has 46 things on it and sleep is #46?  And don’t forget those nights when you are either pregnant or have had a baby and sleep is the last thing on your mind.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , adults should get about 7-9 hours of sleep every night.  Getting that much sleep is almost impossible for adults, especially while going to school or while raising a family.  Here are some “Healthy Habbits of Good Sleep” that will hopefully help you get close to those 7- 9 hours of sleep at night. 

     On a side note, one thing that helps me fall asleep fast is to sit myself in front of a movie that I have no interest in, and before I know it there is drool on the couch cushion that I zonked out on!  No offense to anyone, but this just recently happened to me when my husband popped in Lord of the Rings (way too boring for me…) earlier this week and I was off like a light in about 30 minutes!!!

Take this quiz on sleeping and hopefully you will get a better score than I did 🙂

Doesn't this just make you drool...mmmmmmmmmmmmmm?!?!?!

   

     The Holidays are just around the corner and the excitement is starting to grow everywhere.  I love everything about Thanksgiving Christmas, and New Year’s especially the FOOD!  When families get together for these two big events, there are no empty tables or counter space because they are all covered with yummy pies, fresh homemade rolls, steaming stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, (the list could go on forever mmmmmmm)!!!!  Once the wonderful meals have been enjoyed, there is leftover food to feed about 5 countries.  This is where I get into trouble.  I will eat and eat and eat until I feel SICK.  The worst part about all of this is, is that I will do the exact same thing the next day, and the next day until all the food is gone! 

     It is important to eat little meals throughout the day so we don’t starve ourselves till dinner time, resulting in eating way too much.  So remembering that there is moderation in all things would do me some good I think!  Having a tiny (let me emphasize tiny) bit of self-control with all of the food during the holidays will probably be good for me.  Here are some wonderful tips on how to help yourself not overindulge and gain that extra holiday weight during the most wonderful time of the year.  But do me a favor: ENJOY the food!  Don’t deprive yourself of the yummy treats and goodies, just remember to eat them in moderation 🙂 

1. Don’t skip meals during the holidays to “save” calories

2. Practice portion control:  If you indulge, be choosy and eat a small amount of what you really want

3. Keep your mouth busy by talking with family and friends at the dinner table

4. Chew gum to prevent from picking at every bowl full of food

5. Stay active and exercise during the holidays:  sign up for those turkey trot 5k races, take a walk in the snow, go ice-skating, go sledding, dance, etc…

6. Avoid sitting near the buffet tables (only sometimes)!

     

     Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States.  Most women still believe that breast cancer is the leading cause of death, where in reality, breast cancer just gets more publicity than heart disease with women.  I am not at all trying to say that breast cancer is not as harmful as heart disease, it just isn’t as commonly diagnosed as heart disease.  According to the American Heart Association, 1 in 30  female deaths are from breast cancer while 1 in 6 deaths are from Cardiovascular Heart Disease (CVD). Not only are women affected by this tragic disease, but 1 in 3 adults (79.4) have some form of heart disease.  I guess the thing that is most upsetting for me to think about with heart disease is that it is so HIGHLY PREVENTABLE!!  There are some risk factors that are not modifiable like age, gender, race, and family history BUT preventing the risk factors that are modifiable is as easy as ABC: 

Avoid tobacco

Become more active

Choose good nutrition

 

 

 

 

    

Chosing not to smoke, or deciding to quit will decrease your risk of heart disease dramatically.  The CDC has come out and said that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.  It just goes to show that the “glamour” smoking advertisements try to portray are far from what smoking really does to you. 

See the difference? 

Here are 101 ways to help us ladies stay active while going about our busy days!  Doing the small things everyday (eating healthy and exercising regularly) will not only help us feel good in the present, but they will by far pay off in the future when we are not dying in a hospital from Americas #1 cause of death: Heart Disease.

     Whenever a woman becomes pregnant, it is necessary for her to gain weight.  The American Pregnancy Association says that if a woman was a normal weight before she became pregnant, she is likely to gain 25-37 pounds up until she delivers.  That is A LOT of weight, but it doesn’t mean that a woman can’t still try to have a healthy weight.   Exercise during pregnancy will help any woman stay healthy, and allow her to feel good about herself 🙂

     WebMD states that if a woman was physically active before pregnancy, she should be able to continue that activity in moderation during pregnancy.  They also say that if a woman was not active before getting pregnant, she can begin a exercise program after consulting with her health care provider.   The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology suggests that a pregnant woman should include 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, if not all unless she has a pregnancy or medical complication. (Bleeding or clotting, low placenta, threatened or recurrent miscarriage, etc…) 

Here are some great ways to get exercise during pregnancy!

1. Swimming

2. Brisk Walking

3. Biking

4. Moderate Aerobics

5. Pilates/Yoga (they have actual DVDs for women who are pregnant!)

6. Jogging

7. Elliptical/Step Machines

8. Toning Exercises

     The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that all women who have just had babies need to exclusively breastfeed for six months.  Holy Cow, literally!  That is a long time, and those six months will not be easy.  Recently, exclusive breastfeeding has been given a certain stigma in the U.S. that it is awkward, old fashioned, and for poor people.  The CDC conducted a survey from 1999-2006 of U.S. children who were breastfed.  The results showed that women in the U.S. do not exclusively breastfeed their babies like the CDC suggests.  As future mothers, or current mothers, we need to get over get over this stigma that breastfeeding is old fashioned, awkward, or for poor people and breastfeed proudly.

     Why should we get over the stigma?  Why should mothers exclusively breastfeed?  Why is the CDC cracking down and encouraging that a baby’s first 6 months should include exclusive breastfeeding?   The truth is, both women and their babies cannot afford to NOT breastfeed.  Women who choose not to exclusively breastfeed miss out on wonderful health and emotional benefits, and  at the same time deny their baby of getting benefits as well.  Click here to find out 101  reasons to breastfeed your child.

     I have always loved this quote about breastfeeding, “If a multinational company developed a product that was a nutritionally balanced and delicious food, a wonder drug that both prevented and treated disease, cost almost nothing to produce and could be delivered in quantities controlled by the consumers’ needs, the very announcement of their find would send their shares rocketing to the top of the stock market.  The scientists who developed the product would win prizes and the wealth and influence of everyone involved would increase dramatically.  Women have been producing such a miraculous substance, breast milk, since the beginning of human existence.” -Gabrielle Palmer

This is quite a humorous commercial that promotes breastfeeding.  The message that it gives is true: Why take the risk?

     Every day of our lives we experience different types of stress: emotional, physical, mental, spiritual, etc… Having stress is good for our bodies to a certain extent, but there is a point where too much stress can be harmful.  A hormone called cortisol is released into your blood when you experience stress.  Our bodies need certain levels of cortisol to function, but when there is an excess release of it, our bodies do not respond in a positive way: cardiac problems, fatigue, depression, anxiety, etc…

     As women, we will always have stress at work, school, our homes, and in our relationships.  Some stress is minimal like what you are going to have for dinner or what outfit you are going to wear to the upcoming formal event.  On the other hand, stress can hit hard when there are things like a traumatic event in one’s family, when you don’t know how you are going to make it financially to the end of the month, or when you are still trying to get pregnant after the third miscarriage. 

      Learning how to cope with stress is a skill that will make your life a lot easier!  By using different tactics to cope with stress, you will not only become sane quicker, but your health will improve resulting in a positive and confident self 🙂

 Take this fun quiz to get your personal stress profile!

It is "wicked" to think that what you see in the mirror is worth more than what is on the inside of you.

Get this ladies…

• Young girls are more afraid about becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents
• The average U.S. woman is 5’4″ and weighs 140 pounds whereas the average U.S. model is 5’11” and weighs 117 pounds
• After viewing images of female fashion models, seven out of ten women felt more depressed and angry than prior to viewing the images
• To find out more shocking stats go to the Student Wellness Program at University of Colorado at Boulder

Queen Latifah said, “For me, it might sound cliche, but beauty for me really starts on the inside.  It’s like a state of mind, a state of love if you will.  Then, whatever you can do on the outside is all like a bonus.”  Trying to have the “perfect body” today is fake and empty.  What is real and fulfilling for a woman is what is on the inside of her.