National Women’s Health Week takes place on the 8th-15th of May and coincides with International Mother’s Day, celebrated in over 152 countries. It's all about encouraging women to focus on their mental and physical health by making positive choices.
Every woman is unique and special and the importance of women's health should be acknowledged and recognised. For years, many women have put aside their own health and wellbeing needs to focus on others around them but prioritising your health as a woman is essential.
Making small changes to improve your overall health can make a significant positive impact. Changes that woman are encouraged to make for their health include:
1. Scheduling and attending important health appointments.
This is especially true in light of the pandemic. Many women will have missed essential check-ups during Covid-19 including physical examinations, mammograms, and smear tests. These kinds of preventative appointments are there to ensure women keep on top of their health and attendance is so important.
2. Working on your physical health.
No matter your age, staying physically active is always important. Of course, ways to improve your fitness can include going to the gym but if this isn’t something you enjoy, you can increase your physical activity with low impact exercise such as walking.
Walking is a great way to improve cardiovascular health as well as reduce stress and anxiety. Walking outside will also improve your immune system due to exposure to vitamin D!
Any movement counts as physical activity - which includes tasks such as gardening.
Having a well-balanced diet is also very important for your physical health. Ensuring you are getting the right amount of nutrients will leave your body feeling energised and nourished. Getting the important nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin C and D will prevent many diseases and allow the brain to function better.
Drinking plenty of water is also a great way to stay healthy.
Check out the NHS’ 8 tips for a healthy diet which includes cutting down on saturated fat and sugar and eating more fruit and vegetables.
3. Working on your mental wellbeing and practicing self-care.
Keeping on top of your mental health is so important. Small ways to practice self-care can include:
Staying connected with friends and family – working on the relationships that matter to you can offer you support and comfort and improve your well-being.
Taking time for the things you enjoy – making more time for these things in life can reduce feelings of stress and allow you to feel more positive about your day.
Setting goals and priorities – This could help prevent taking on too much (which many women do) and allow you to feel prouder of your achievements as well as meeting the goals you have set yourself.
Movement in Thyme take mental wellbeing into great consideration by offering opportunities for yoga and a connection with nature. Connecting with nature can bring calmness as well as joy and creativity which can help to improve your mental health. We also have projects such as movement classes and wellbeing coaching that help aid the nervous and immune system.
Making these small changes to improve your health can pave the way for a better quality of life and help you to feel more positive about the future.
Here at Movement in Thyme, we believe that understanding herbal medicine can benefit people in substantial ways.
On the 15th of May we are running a herbal workshop in Glasgow where you can come along to see what we’re about and learn about the benefits of herbal medicine and mindfulness. Participants will receive a stress-relieving tea to take away with them.
The sign-up link is below, this is a free event but there is a £6.50 booking fee that includes coffee and cake!
We hope to see you there! Especially during this important week embracing the importance of women’s health!
If you are unable to attend the event we offer herb and food workshops for corporate and private events such as birthdays and hen parties. These workshops are a great way to improve your connection with nature and profits made from the workshops go to helping the causes that matter to our social enterprise.
This blog was contributed by Movement in Thyme volunteer Jodie Murphy as part of Women's Health Week, 2022.