Women at work and their tips, challenges, advice, complaints, and experiences

Today is the beginning of American Heart Month - and it begins with a bang on National Wear Red Day.  I'd like to share with you an article that I wrote recently for an e-newsletter for Homestead Originals.  I realize that some of you may not consider yourselves to be "homesteaders", but I know that the lives you lead still require a lot of heart.  Whether you are a single Workerette, a working mommy, or a woman who is enjoying her retirement days, I hope you'll take the time to learn more about heart-healthy living.  Then go put on something red and spread the word!

The Prepared Homesteader: Homesteading Takes Heart!

By Melonie Kennedy

 

All of us know that it takes a certain mindset to homestead, no matter where we roam.  Many of us are drawn to the mainstays of the “modern homesteading movement” because it embodies a simpler, less stressful, healthier lifestyle.  Now I don’t know that it qualifies as less stressful when a suburban ‘steader like myself loses their whole crop (i.e. two plants) of tomatoes to creepy-crawlies or a house full of homeschooled kids are running rampant, but hey – it’s the thought that counts, right?  If nothing else, I can try sitting back and lighting a candle.  (Try the Tranquility aromatherapy scent.  Not that I’ve had to do that in the past 24 hours or anything.  *grin*)

 

Either way, we’re in this because we love it.  Whether you’re just starting out and have an organic plant or two as a little kitchen garden or you’ve got acres of land and a high-quality grain mill, homesteading is, overall, good for the heart – both the emotional one and the physical.  After all, you’re out there doing chores, you’re staying active, you’re controlling the stress levels (sort of!), and you’re most likely eating healthier than most of the fast food addicts our fellow citizens have become.

 

If you think there’s more you can do for your heart – the physical one, that is – you’re right!  There’s always a little something more we can do to improve ourselves; not a one of us is perfect.  Check with your doctor for tips, especially if you have a family history of heart disease or related issues.  Be sure to ask for a physical with a full blood work-up so you can find out what your cholesterol levels are and all the other vital info you need to keep the ol’ ticker doing its job.  When the numbers come through, don’t just thank them and walk away.  Ask for explanations!  A “they’ll call me if it’s bad news” mindset isn’t healthy.  Sit down with a doctor or nurse and ask them if anything they see puts you in a borderline or high-risk category.  Ask them what you can do to improve your “numbers” – and WHY they are suggesting it.  Be candid with your doctor if you ever just don’t feel “right”.  This is especially important for women.  The signs of a heart attack are different for a woman than for a man.  And not all heart attacks happen with the soap opera finale, with you clutching your chest dramatically and emphatically telling your beloved, “ACK!  I am having a heart attack, dearest.  You must help me to the door!” 

 

Until your appointment, check out these websites for ideas and suggestions for keeping your heart healthy.  As for the creepy-crawlies on the tomatoes, well, we’ll work on that this spring. 

 

Quaker Oatmeal - Heart Healthy Living: topics addressed include understanding heart disease, leading a heart healthy lifestyle, an interactive heart health assistant, and information about how Quaker’s products *may* help your efforts.  (Homestead Originals does not specifically recommend Quaker Oatmeal products; we just want you to have all the resources possible!  Substitute your favorite brand(s) where applicable!)

 

Benecol, a product for reducing cholesterol, offers a website with heart healthy tips and links to information about controlling diabetes as well.  Benecol has partnered with The Heart Truth to offer information about heart disease (the #1 killer of women in the USA!) via the Red Dress Column.  Sister homesteaders, I strongly urge you to educate yourselves, along with your daughters, mothers, and friends, about heart disease in women.  We want to share the homesteading life with you for many years to come!

 

Prevention Magazine offers all sorts of information, including tips, articles, and blogs.  Pop over and peruse their site; to find heart-healthy specifics, go into the “health” pages and choose “healthy lifestyle”.  You’ll see tons of resources, including links to heart healthy living info.

 

Everywhere I go, I’m seeing ads and signs for Valentine’s goodies.  Keep in mind that a little bit of chocolate, especially antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, can do you good.  “All things in moderation”, as the saying goes!  Above all else, remember that celebrating your relationships – and hopefully your continued good health – is the whole point.  It’s not really about how many bonbons we can choke down, folks.  It’s about remembering that we are blessed with life, all the year long, and that we are blessed to share it with our friends, family, and colleagues, near and far.

 

(C) 2008, Melonie Kennedy.  Melonie is a military wife, homeschooling momma, suburban homesteader, and freelance writer. Her goals for 2008 include hitting the 10,000 step mark on her pedometer daily and getting her “numbers” run at the doctor’s office.  Catch her blogging at Momma & More and Workerette.com.

 

THIS IS POST #1,000, WORKERETTES!!! THAT MEANS WE'LL HAVE A WINNER TO ANNOUNCE IN THE VERY NEXT POST!