National Women's Health Week: Why You Should Take Part

On May 10, 2009, the whole nation will kick off the week long celebration and observance of women’s health – the National Women’s Health Week. This week will be all about women and how they can all take simple steps in order to improve their lives: healthier, happier, and longer. The US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health makes it their thrust to encourage women to prioritize their health, above anything else.

Various activities and contests will be launched and set up to get women involved and excited about this weeklong event. Some of the activities include the National Women’s Check-Up Day which will be launched on May 11, and the eight-week Women Challenge, which is an online physical activity program that begins on May 10. Various other organizations will participate as well, to get women educated and involved in the move towards a healthier life.

Simple Steps to Improve Health

Simple steps are being promoted and encouraged among women in order to bring about significant changes in their health and lifestyle. Some of these include:

1) Getting at least 2 hours of moderate physical activity, or an hour of intense physical activity

2) Eating a healthier, more nutritious diet

3) Getting regular check ups and screenings

4) Discarding or avoiding risky, unhealthy habits such as smoking, excessive drinking, and not wearing a seatbelt

5) Giving importance to mental health; this is addressed by getting enough sleep and managing stress

By effecting some simple changes in your lifestyle, you’ll be able to drastically improve the quality of your living and more importantly, your health. This is the change the National Women’s Health Week is striving to increase awareness of.

Registering Your Organization

Many organizations have signed up and have become a part of the participation with the National Women’s Health Week. Organizations may register online and post their events and proclamations for this week long celebration. Not only does this give a chance for organizations to promote their activities, it also provides a feedback form for attendees to answer and evaluate the event hosted. For more information, log on to www.womenshealth.gov.

Provision of Health Resources

The National Women’s Health Week is also a good resource for information related to health. Their website provides general links and resources to some of the most common health concerns such as cancer, menopause, HIVs, and STIs. Log on to their website for quick and easy access to their information.

All in all, the National Women’s Health Week is an effort towards awareness, education, and improvement of women’s health. In the world today, women are at terrible risk for all sorts of diseases and health problems, and it’s about time to combat this.