Seven life-saving tips for women to remember
These seven tips are great because they’re easy to follow, easy to implement, and they can make big changes very quickly.
1. Donate blood, learn your blood type
In certain situations, knowing your blood type can save your life. When a woman is pregnant, she often learns her blood type – having a negative RH factor can lead to a life-threatening complication if preventative steps are not taken – but doctors otherwise will generally not order tests to find out blood type.
If you donate blood at the Red Cross, however, they will test your blood type, and when you receive your donor card in the mail, it will have your blood type listed. Knowing what your blood type is may make it easier for you to be treated in an emergency situation.
2. Weight-bearing exercise can save your life
For years, doctors said that fitness resulted from men lifting weights and women doing cardio. If women lifted weights, the reasoning went, they would bulk up like men, and become unattractive. Leaving aside, for the moment, the idea that women can’t be attractive and be fit, it’s been demonstrated that the way men gain muscle is in large part because of their natural testosterone; women can’t bulk up like men without serious steroid use.
More importantly, recent studies have shown that women who lift weights and do other weight bearing exercise strengthen their bones and are less likely to suffer from osteoporosis as they age.
3. Strengthen your memory by alternating tasks
We’ve all heard the advice about brushing your teeth or hair with your non-dominant hand, and as silly as it sounds, studies have shown that breaking out of your routine and doing things differently can help your brain stay vibrant and nimble.
Activities don’t have to be as silly sounding as reverse toothbrushing, however, drive a different route to work once a week, or join a new club, or even read a book in a genre you usually ignore. Doing new things builds new pathways in your brain, which helps your brain say strong as you age.
4. Find ways to laugh
Laughter is the best medicine, so the old saying goes, and there’s some evidence that this is true. Finding a way to laugh can brighten your mood and improve your overall health. Watch a comedian you like, a funny show, read a book that makes you laugh out loud, or just hang around with people who make you smile.
5. Heart attacks are different in women than in men
We often hear the typical signs of a heart attack: crushing pain in the chest which radiates down the left arm being the most well known. But when women experience heart attacks, the signs are much different. Chest pain and shortness of breath are still common, but may be less intense than they are in men; women are also more likely to experience nausea, cold sweats, dizziness, and a more general sense of pain in the neck and jaw.
Get your CPR certification courses and know that you can intervene if someone is experiencing a heart attack near you; along with learning the technique, you’ll learn when to administer it, and when it is not appropriate. You could save a life.
6. Learn to read labels
Every week, there’s a new superfood, a new detox diet, and a new food that’s going to cause cancer if you eat it. Virtually none of this advice is helpful, especially not detox diets. Your liver and kidneys already detox your body. Instead of fretting about which food you’re not supposed to eat this month, learn how to eat and identify your food.
To the best of your ability, stick to the edges of the grocery store – meats, dairy, eggs, fresh fruit and vegetables – and avoid the center aisles with cookies, prepared foods, and soda. Learn to read packages; the front claims are just marketing, so look at percentages on the nutrition label, particularly at sodium content and sugar versus fiber.
7. Get better sleep
Sometimes taking your phone to bed is just necessary these days – maybe that’s where the new book is, or maybe it controls the entire house and you need it nearby – but learn to set your phone to DND so that you don’t get notifications all night long. Simple sleep meditations and cardio right before bed can help you get the slow wave form sleep you need to feel really rested in the morning.
