Jean Halies has created this week to remind women to set aside some time for their wellness and general health, because it's not always our top priority and we can easily let this slip through the cracks. I don't know who needed to hear that this week but I know I did. I've already taken off work for Thurs!
Each day of Women's Health Week has a different theme, as seen below:
• Move it Monday - A day dedicated to moving your body and the importance of exercise for all women.
• Tricky Periods - Tues was to learn about what is and isn’t normal with your period, and how physio may be able to help!
• Private Lives - Wed is for talking all things taboo around the topic of sex, a few common issues women have with intercourse and how physio can help.
• Mind Matters - On Thursday they will focus on maternal mental health in light of COVID. How women are (or aren’t) coping without their village for support and a few tips on how to look after your own mental health.
• Slumber Party - Fri's topic is sleep and the importance of it for women’s health, especially those impacted by newborns and toddlers.
I always make it a point to emphasize exercise, particularly stretching, because without moving our bodies they'll always be stiff and our muscles will shorten and cause pain. You know what happens when your muscles stiffen? They squeeze your nerves, which causes more pain, and they also add pressure to your skeleton, which is why so many of us have what's deemed as "musculoskeletal" issues. See my post on Scoliosis for more on that.
I can definitely relate to tricky periods, in fact, that's putting it rather nicely for me. As you probably know, I have PCOS and I must say, I just finished one of my worst cycles in history. First, I bled for 11 days, several of which were quite heavy and I got my menstrual cup stuck in me at work, leaving me to take a break from it for a while. Then, after just 5 days of freedom, I started a whole 7 day cycle again. Luckily, I finished just in time for my road trip this past weekend and was able to have some fun with the bf after such a long hiatus. Now I don't even know when it's coming again and that really scares me! If you also suffer from crazy periods you may want to consider trying Elix Cycle Balance because it has really helped me with the pain, bloating, and energy drain, just not the length or regularity of my periods. Please email me if you would like a discount code to try it out!
You gals know how much I love talking taboo, especially when it comes to sex. Whether it be positions to try for pelvic pain, toys, or dilating tips, I've got you covered. I highly recommend readings books to educate yourself on female desire, masturbation, or orgasms in general to understand how your body works as someone with your particular genitalia, but also to learn how to figure out what you like as an individual. I'm lucky enough to say that I've been able to use quarantine to my advantage in continuing to research and explore what works for me and it's really paid off! Since the world shut down a year and a half ago I've learned how to masturbate with toys in new ways that actually bring me pleasure, how to orgasm from PIV, and how to get the guy to orgasm from PIV. I've also created my Instagram and this blog to dedicate to pelvic pain problems and it's served as a wonderful outlet for me. I hope you can find something similar as a means to discuss sex openly with others.
Naturally, I haven't had a baby, so I can't contribute anything from my own experience about post baby blues, but I will say that my bestie had her 3rd at the start of the quarantine here and wasn't able to take maternity leave because her school had no subs that could teach her class virtually. Thus, she was forced to write all news lessons to be taught via Zoom while caring for a newborn and managing her 2 other young children simultaneously, since they were all stuck at home. Welcome to America, folks. She was later diagnosed with postpartum depression and able to attend therapy biweekly to help her with it. If you are experiencing anything along these lines please do reach out to someone to talk you through it. Don't suffer in silence as this is surprisingly common and remember, you don't have to be super woman just because you're a mom now.
Lastly, sleep is of vital importance for everyone, and lord knows we typically don't get enough of it. I definitely fall into that category most of the time and I frankly love sleep. If you leave me exhausted in a dark and quiet room with a comfy bed and no alarm I can easily stay passed out for 10 hours. The minimum amount of sleep for adults is 7-8 hours, but I know I personally really require 9 to feel fully rested. That's when I'm not reaching for caffeine the next day. If you are one of these people who finds yourself drinking 3 cups of coffee a day then you probably aren't getting enough sleep at night. This could either be that you're not allowing enough time or that your sleep isn't actually restful. You could have sleep apnea, not letting you breathe well enough for your body to relax all night, or be an insomniac like me who has trouble falling asleep. Whatever the reason is, it's really worth looking into because a good night's rest does so much for your body's overall health, including aiding your digestion, revitalizing your skin, and giving your brain a chance to recharge.
You can follow Enlighten Health Collective's Insta @enlighten.collective for advice and facts about women's health or go to their website at https://www.enlightenphysio.com.au/book/ if you would like to book an appointment with Alyssa or Sophie and live in Wales. They offer physiotherapy for pre and post natal, pelvic floor and incontinence, and other female related musculoskeletal issues. Follow the links in the bullets for more information on Women's Health Week or here to sign up for any specific info sessions. I will definitely be checking some of these out myself and I'm thankful for clinics like these for spreading the good word to all of us!