What is More important than Diet and Exercise in Women’s Health?   SLEEP!
 
How does sleep deprivation during all seasons of a woman’s life affect your health?  “Catastrophic sleep loss epidemic” is how sleep researcher Dr. Matthew Walker (U of C Berkley) describes sleep challenges.  The factors contributing to sleep loss are:  the electrification of our homes, the electronic connectedness of our lives, the porous membrane between our home and work lives, loneliness/depression, the prevalence of alcohol and caffeine and hormonal changes. He has confirmed through research and clinical studies that lack of sleep contributes to cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, poor mental health and obesity.  We also stigmatize sleep by associating a long, restorative sleep or nap with laziness or shame.
 
Eight hours is still our healthy goal.  But how do we get there?
 
Make it non-negotiable.  Plan your day around sleep.  Exercise must be before dinner, preferably before lunch.  Light stretching or restorative yoga are good options for your evening.  Reduce the size of your evening meal so that digestion is a breeze…make lunch your hearty meal! Eliminate sugar.  Completely.  Avoid alcohol at dinner but if you’re so inclined, enjoy it with food and strictly keep it to 5 oz. (that’s ½ c. + 1 T.)!  Daytime naps should be restricted to 20 minutes maximum and be completed before 1 pm.  Go to bed at the same time every night, setting your blanketed alarm for the same time every morning.  Be consistent to the point of being rigid!  Set a second alarm for 2 hours before your dedicated bedtime.  When it rings, turn off ALL blue light emitters in your home, from your smartphone to your ipad/ereader to your laptop/TV screens. 
 
 
Think of all the quieting activities that you provided for your babies in order to make sure that they (and you, the exhausted new parent) slept.  Downtraining.  Calming.  Enjoy a warm bath or shower (unless that’s your morning wake-up call!).  Savour a light protein snack (boiled egg, small piece of cheese, strip of chicken breast….no carbohydrate) to hold you through that pancreas/energy dip in the wee hours of the morning.  Your bladder shouldn’t awaken you at night unless you’re over 60, then only one trip to the loo is acceptable.  It is effective to reduce your fluid intake after dinner to give your bladder an opportunity to learn to behave.  If you enjoy a warm drink before bed, make it chamomile tea or warm milk…..nothing with alcohol.  Alcohol is pure sugar and guaranteed to keep you from falling asleep and/or to awaken you in a few hours. 
 
Do a “brain dump”….write down all your concerns, lists and plans and leave it in the kitchen.  Tomorrow will be soon enough to tackle it all and as Mom said, “It will all look better in the morning.”
 
Your bedroom should be a “sleep cove”….a dark and comfortable room with light restricting curtains, cool, comfortable temperature, your body kept warm (cozy quilts or blankets) and comfortable (clean, fresh sheets that invite you to sleep).  A light spray of lavender has been proven as a sleep promoter.  And your bedroom is not for reading, lounging, chatting, talking on the phone…..your bedroom is for sleep and intimacy.  Nothing else!  Your own sleep- promoting, dedicated space.
 
It takes time to retrain your sleep patterns.  Be patient, firm and compassionate with yourself.  Making sleep a priority now is an important part of your own self care and health promotion.  Look forward to bedtime, enjoy the restoration that sleep brings and awake with energy for today!

What make us make those life choices, those small daily decisions, that contribute to our own vibrant health.  The average lifespan for a Canadian woman in 2017 is 81 years of age.  It's not up to the medical professionals in your life; it's up to you to create your best health. Where you live, how you live, your work and play, your biology/genetic heritage, how you eat and drink, how you manage life's stress…….you can impact all these factors.  It's up to you.
 
The Tomorrow Test is this:  Each time you address something you'd like to change, commit to it. Then when you begin to waver (procrastinate, make excuses, defer), ask yourself how you'll feel about it tomorrow. We know that we only have today, but looking at the moment from tomorrow's perspective may add a lovely bit of motivation that you need to follow through.
 
How many changes at a time?  If we make one change, we have an 80% chance of staying with it.  If we make two changes at a time, we have a 30% chance; if we tackle three changes at once, we have less than a 5% chance to stick to our guns.  Make one change, take six weeks to make it hold.
 
What changes in our life will provide us with our best health? For women, it's different than for men. We have a complicated body full of hormonal influences provided by our biology (like monthly cycles, pregnancies, baby-having, and menopause).  We need to understand the impact of our amazingly unique bodies so that we can make lovely life choices.
 
Women's Health Rules are:

1. Eat real food. Mostly plants.  If it's a plant, eat it.  If it's made in a plant, avoid it. There are dozens of eating plans or diets out there, a new trend every season. Attend to your own digestion, knowing that it's not always simply the food, but also emotional wellness, stress management, scar tissue/previous surgery in your abdomen and your relationship with food itself that affect your digestion.
2. Hydrate well.  Add a slice of cucumber, mint, lemon or lime to your water.  Chill it or warm it.  Have it as herb tea.  Don't add sugar.
3. Beverages with alcohol may be enjoyed in moderation.  One 5 - 6 oz. glass of wine or one beer per day is it.  Enjoy it but stop at one.
4. Move often. Walk more.  Make time to make movement part of your day. Look at physical work as beneficial and enjoyable rather than something to be avoided.
5. Huff and puff. Exercise your heart for 150 minutes a week.  For post-menopausal women, it's in 22-25 minute sessions rather than longer sessions. This isn't the time of life to become a marathon runner (for your heart).  Our older bodies interpret longer cardio sessions as STRESS.  Short and snappy sessions or High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) are the way!
6. Stretch. Move to the point of stretch and enjoy it without shaking or pain.  Find a way to make a luxurious time without rushing in your day.  
7. Make sleep a priority. Park your tech in your kitchen, turning it off 2 hours before bedtime. Do a brain dump, writing down all the lists in your mind. Be consistent with time, preparation for sleep and enjoy it!
8. Make space and time in your life for quiet.  You mind and soul need rest just like your body does.  Make time to appreciate today and find gratitude.

 
Now….women friends!  Look at this list.  What would be enjoyable, something you'll want to repeat?  Only one.  Six weeks. It's your health.
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