WOMEN are great at doing just about anything, but there is one thing they are not good at – putting themselves first when it comes to health.
Many women find that work, family, caring duties and even life in general all conspire against them when it comes to health. But let’s face it – if you don’t look after your own health, how will you be able to look after all those other people in your life who you love and who rely on you?
That’s the message of Women’s Health Week (September 4-8) organised by the national not-for-profit group Jean Hailes for Women’s Health.
No matter how tricky the topic, Jean Hailes aims to help women get rid of the “elephant in the room” – hence the event’s elephant logo.
Now it its fifth year, the campaign combines an online event with public and community-run activities.
Last year a record 23,000 participants took part in 620 events around the country, while a further 12,600 registered to have free health-related content emailed to them.
Every year Jean Hailes conducts a national survey of women and health professionals. Last year’s survey revealed the two biggest barriers for women not maintaining a healthy lifestyle are lack of time (29 per cent) and health not being seen as a priority (22 per cent).
Yet organisation founder Jean Hailes believed that if women were kept well then everyone around them was also better off.
“Too often women put the wellbeing of family and friends ahead of their own,” said executive director Janet Michelmore.
“Women’s Health Week is the time for women to put themselves first, for just one week, and start making positive changes that can last a lifetime.”
To take part, simply sign up to receive Women’s Health Week content that will land in your email mailbox every day; or host or attend an event – a morning tea, health info session, workplace or sporting activity.
