Blog 10 What factors can influence women to adopt healthier lifestyles and engage in preventative behaviors so as to reduce their risks of CVD

One of the most difficult obstacles US women face is society's all or nothing attitude. "If you do not come out of the gym looking like a super model, why bother? If you have donuts for breakfast you might as well have fast food for lunch since the whole day was blown from the start. If you don't put your child's every need ahead of your exercise routine, you're not a very good mother." Do any of these thoughts sound familiar? Maintaining your health is not an all or nothing task. Even small changes, such as eating a salad with every dinner (even a fast food salad), can contribute positive results to your health status. Women need to give themselves a break. Sure Martha Stewart is great, but even she ended up in prison! There is no way to meet the expectations that the media creates. Even movie stars try to sell themselves off as "perfect". Pitt and Jolie have given interviews where they talk about always having their children with them, but what they fail to mention is that they have a different idea of being "with" them. Think about it, have you ever seen even one of their children on their hip during a film? And I doubt the children are present during their two hour daily workouts.  When an average American mother refers to this, it means her child is screaming at her through the bathroom door! Women need to recognize that taking their children for a walk around the block may not give body sculpting results, but it can contribute to their heart health. If you can't even manage that with your kids, get down in the floor and wrestle with them. The American Heart Association (2009) recommends 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise (breaking a sweat that has nothing to do with the temperature) for heart health and one hour on most days for optimal health. It does not have to be continuous. You can wrestle the kids for 15 minutes in the afternoon and turn up your favorite CD to dance around the kitchen while you make dinner. There are easy steps anyone can take to increase heart health and reduce their risk of cancers, you just have to find the ones that work for you. The most important thing to remember is that if you don't make time for yourself, you increase the chances that you will not have any more time for anyone else!

American Heart Association. (2009). Exercise and fitness. Retrieved April 11, 2009 from: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200013