For the Health of It: Medical Motivators for Mommies

There are very few people in North America who don’t know that exercise is good for them, but knowing it’s good for you doesn’t always translate into doing what’s good for you. In fact, most of us are privy to current research via the media and internet which consistently supports the positive effects a healthy lifestyle has on disease prevention.

Unfortunately, a great portion of our society either chooses not to believe this, not to listen or not to care.  Achieving and maintaining good health should be the ultimate motivator for our behaviours but sadly this is not the case.  

It’s amazing how much we can take our health for granted until we are faced with a health crisis. I have met numerous people (and yes, quite sadly many mothers of young children) and heard thousands of stories of unexpected disease as a motivation for transforming their lives.  Many common diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabetes can be kept at bay or properly controlled with a combination of physical exercise and healthy eating, however, these diseases are on the rise.  Why do we continue to put our health at the bottom of our priority list? 

Once you become parents, the sleepless nights, additional responsibilities, and the increased cost of living can all be “good reasons” not to make exercise and healthier eating a priority.  When given a long explanation about why someone can not exercise, I often ask them if it’s truly a good reason or is it on some deeper level just an excuse – a way out.

I have also heard many people say the reason they do not exercise is that they don’t want to be part of a group that obsesses over their body image.  On a certain level I can see their point, however, I do try and explain to these people that exercise is not just about looking good.  It’s about feeling good and taking care of yourself.  Research shows that people with unhealthy body fat percentages are at higher risk for disease.  Furthermore, the type of disease a person develops can be determined by the areas in the body where fat accumulates. For example, people who carry excess fat in the abdominal region are at an increased risk of heart disease and certain cancers.  According to a study posted on the American Heart Association’s website (www.americanheart.org),  

“Women in the top one-fifth, or the highest waist-to-hip ratio group, were 91 percent more likely to develop heart disease than women with the smallest waists in relation to their hips.”

To me that number is profound and it makes me think twice about skipping the gym or overeating since my family has a tendency to store fat in their abdominal region.

According to another study performed by the University of North Carolina,

“Women with a waist-to-hip ratio greater than 0.80, which indicates higher concentrations of abdominal fat, were 52 percent more likely to die of breast cancer in the next nine years compared to those with ratios at or below 0.80, after adjusting for the effects of obesity.”    

The truth is I could go on and on about the risks associated with carrying excess abdominal fat alone.  My point is we need to use health as a motivator to get moving.  We need to get honest with ourselves and one another about how we are treating our bodies and what we need to do to get healthy.

I know a young mom who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer after being misdiagnosed with mastitis, an inflammation of the breast, numerous times.  Upon receiving this shocking news, she had to immediately wean her baby from the breast to prepare for chemotherapy.  Her mat leave was a totally different experience then she had imagined.  Despite the grueling chemotherapy sessions and her life being turned upside down, this young mom realized how important it was for her to be healthy and took action.  She attends  fitness class once a week  with loving support of a community of woman .

Aside from her awe inspiring attitude, she is living proof that even in the face of life’s greatest challenges; we must continue to take our health seriously.  So when moms tell me, “I don’t have time to exercise,” I say, “You don’t have time not too exercise.”  

Life’s too short and even shorter for some.  I can guarantee you your children want you to be healthy and would be happy to give up a couple of hours a week with you to make sure you stick around to play with them for a long time to come.