‘It started out like a totally normal day…’
OMGoodness! The simple stresses of everyday life can add up pretty quick! This video is a funny example of how racing through the day often takes priority over all others things, like heart health. Heart health becomes a mere blip on the radar (and sometimes, it doesn’t even get the attention of a blip).
Sure, when I first saw this video it made me laugh hysterically. Not the heart attack part, but everything that led up to it was something that I can relate to, making it that much more funny, of course. But I know I’m not the only one who sees herself in the video, many women can relate to this. I’m a mother of two, and I have had my share of experiences running myself ragged, feeling my heart beat out of my chest while sweat cascades down my backside, not pleasant – and that’s with just two kids! I can’t imagine being brave enough to chase (uh um, I mean ‘raise’) more!
Granted, it’s been a long time since my daughters have been needy toddlers requiring my undivided attention, but I remember those times that I thought I was either having a heart attack or a panic attack. Trying to corral them or to just carry all of their stuff from here to there made it all too tempting to swing through fast food on the way home, because it was quick and did the job and I was too stressed out to think about cooking! But, some simple lifestyle alterations were all that I needed to get into a new and better mindset. And soon I discovered that it wasn’t as hard as I thought to eat better and to manage my stress, even just a little went a long way.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I know that there are plenty of men out there who run themselves like crazy, working for their children and their family – but you all have “Movember”, so we’ll get to you in the fall, (though I am compelled to give props to my husband because he hates fast food and is always looking to eat healthier, and encourages me to find moments for myself, thank you Billie Pattengale). Now, I also know that it doesn’t take having children to feel the all-consuming pressures of the everyday grind; you don’t need kids to have a boat load of stress or to crave fast food, I totally get that.
Work. ‘Life’ is another four-letter word for ‘work’. Point is, every day is work, no one gets a ‘go through life easy’ pass. Mothers, women who serve others, women who put their own health needs second to everything and everyone else around them – the National Wear Red Day is for you, and me! Be aware that heart disease is the number 1 killer of women. Know your risks. And, as a trainer, talk about it with your female clients. Let them know that nearly 500,000 women in the U.S., that’s 1 in 3, die each year from heart disease and stroke – and often times it can be prevented by behavior or habit change!
Women the world over, we give of ourselves constantly without paying enough attention to our own needs. It’s the nature of our hearts to sacrifice our time and sometimes our very selves in order to ‘be’ for someone else, or to strictly keep things moving according to plan. We absorb ourselves in the needs of others (and there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with that, it is who we are and how we are designed). However, to the degree that we are sacrificing our well-being does nothing for the ‘others’ whom we are trying so hard to serve – take care of you too. You don’t have to lose a servant’s heart to gain a healthy heart.
For you or your clients, consider ways to lower your stress levels. Take a moment, take a walk, take some time for you. Of course, exercising regularly and eating healthy is the biggest positive contributor to a healthy well-being overall. Proper diet and exercise are crucial to what we do as part of our being in the health and fitness industry – we, collectively, create awareness. Be purposeful to focus on the awareness of what lies beneath the surface of your female clients. We women can be too quick to care more about appealing to our outer selves than to what literally makes us tick. It’s easy to do, mirrors hanging around everywhere and all. We just can’t be fooled with a focus on only what we see, because the unseen is our greatest demise or our greatest comfort.
Do your research, get a heart checkup and make a change for the better in your life.
Join NFPT on February 6th as we wear red to raise awareness of heart disease in women! And, if you can, donate to The American Heart Association to help fund future research and support for women suffering from heart disease.
