10 Most Important Habits of a Healthy and Happy Mom

“Long time, no see!” My dentist jokingly scolded me, last week as the hygienist probed my gums.

“Yeah, sorry I had to reschedule my last appointment.” I sheepishly replied.

“You haven’t been here in 2 years.” He chided.

I was shocked. Time had slipped past in a tizzy of deadlines and deliveries. I would have sworn that I only missed one visit. I promised to do better next time.

Motherhood is often about sacrificing our own wants and needs for those of our children. Usually that is an admirable trait, but not when it comes to our health. On the rare occasion we do get a moment to ourselves, we would much rather get a pedicure than a pap smear, but we must make our own health a priority.

In this age of information overload, where conflicting medical studies are glossed over weekly in sound bites and tweets, it’s confusing which checkups are truly necessary. After reviewing the most recent data, here are the 10 most important health habits you need to practice to stay a healthy and happy mom.

10 Habits of a Healthy and Happy Mom

 1. Put sunscreen on yourself too.

In the rush to get their life jackets on and the fruit snacks packed, we’ve all done it: forgot our own sunscreen.  Try putting sunscreen on everyone {including yourself} before you even leave the house. Skin cancer continues to be the most common type of cancer in the United States. If you notices any mole changes, see a dermatologist right away. Don’t be fooled by tanning beds, they are no safer than the sun. You can be like me, embrace your paleness and buy blue swim suits to color coordinate with your spider veins. Or if you insist on a Coppertone look, a spray tan will work nicely and not increase your risk of melanoma.

2. Eat your fruits and veggies.

Are you overwhelmed with nutritional fads: Eat clean? Paleo? Vegan? Organic? Gluten free?

If you are a healthy weight, keep it simple: get 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies a day and avoid fried foods and sugary drinks.

If you need to lose weight, you may need to try a more structured program. One of the biggest issues with obesity is that people often fully “give up” trying to lose weight, and instead begin to gain 10-20 pounds a year. If you can’t lose weight, then at least maintain.

3. Have a healthy heart.

Heart disease is a top killer of women. Women are recommended to have their cholesterol and blood pressure checked every 5 years beginning at age 20. If you have a family history of heart attacks or stroke, you may need more frequent screening. 30 minutes of aerobic exercise is recommended for most days of the week to keep your heart strong and healthy.

4. Get your pap smear.

In the last few years, the pap smear guidelines have changed more frequently than John Mayer’s girlfriends. It is still recommended that women get an annual pelvic exam, even if they don’t necessarily need a pap smear every year. 

As research evolves, we are learning more about the root cause of cervical cancer which is HPV. Studies are showing that women who have HPV that persists into their 30’s are more likely to develop cervical cancer.  This is about the time that women get busy with the kiddos and visiting the gynecologist falls pretty low on the list of priorities. See your gynecologist yearly for an exam and talk with her about how often you need pap smears and HPV screening.

5. Check your breasts.

Much like pap smears, there continues to be much media hype over mammograms. Yes, you need a mammogram. It isn’t a perfect test but it is the best screening test we’ve got. If you do not have any family history of breast cancer, you need an annual breast exam by your doctor and a mammogram every 1-2 years from age 40-50, then yearly after 50.  If you do have a family history of breast cancer testing should start 10 years before your relative was diagnosed with cancer. More than one family member with breast, ovarian or colon cancer; especially at a young age, could be a sign of a genetic cancer syndrome. Check out my previous post on BRCA  and talk to your doctor about testing.

6. Don’t smoke.

A patient in the office for her annual exam recently asked my opinion on what type of detox or cleanse she should do to “get all the toxins out of her body.” As I began to discuss nutritional balance and my view that “cleanses” aren’t really necessary, I noticed her chart said that she smoked a pack a day. Obviously the best “cleanse” for her would be to remove cigarette smoke from her body. Smoking leads to 200,000 needless deaths annually, yet 18% of American women continue to smoke.

7. Wear your seat belt.

Adults age 18-34 are less likely to wear their seat belts than other age groups, despite the fact that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of death and injury in a car accident by 50%. Much like not smoking, wearing your seat belt seems like a no-brainer. I almost didn’t add it to this list but then I saw the statistic that 10% of women don’t take that simple extra second to click their seat belt and save their life. Sadly a family member of mine witnessed a crash this week, where a mother’s car was hit, she was ejected {not wearing seat belt} and died at the scene. Her kids were buckled in and lived.

8. Take folic acid.

All women of child bearing age are recommended to take at least 400 mcg of folic acid daily; this amount is usually found in a multivitamin. Being on folic acid before conception reduces the risk of spina bifida and autism. Since 50% of pregnancies in the US are unplanned, all women under 50 with a uterus should take folic acid. Please be especially careful to take folic acid if you are using one of the less effective forms of birth control such as withdrawal, natural family planning or condoms.

9. Treat depression.

Depression is often not taken seriously as a disease, especially in the evangelical community, however untreated depression can effect all areas of your life and health. Women with depression have difficulty bonding with their children and sometimes even making it through their daily activities. On an even more serious note, suicide is the second highest cause of death in women ages 25-35.

 10. Go to the dentist.

Visit your friendly dentist every 6 months. Brush, floss and be an example to the kiddos.

Often women think of being healthy as an unobtainable extreme. When they can’t be a perfect vegan marathoner, they give up and eat another cookie. Alternately women who eat “clean and organic” think they are so healthy they don’t need a pap smear. Life is busy, but these are simple things we can do to keep our bodies healthy against the top diseases and injuries that affect women.

How do you find time to make {and remember} health appointments for yourself?

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