"I'm going over the edge!" wailed Samira, a 26-year-old marketing executive to her friend Shayla. She felt hyper-stressed today. Even though she had a perfect life with a job she loved, a successful banker husband and an adorable three-year-old son, she still felt lost. She was as efficient as her male co workers, sharing similar responsibilities and pressures, yet, she always seemed far more stressed than them since she had the dual responsibility of managing her home and work.
Rarely hitting the sack before midnight, Samira's day began at 6.00 am with a whirlwind of activities, like pulling her son out of bed, prodding him to eat a wholesome breakfast, sprucing him up for school, garnering up some breakfast for her husband but only occasionally for herself, dressing correctly for work and finally making it to the office by 9.30 am. Her day at work was an endless stream of calls, emails and meetings. Once home, the evenings were spent being the ultimate mother and wife.
The weekend was packed with a visit to the supermarket and catching up on socializing with family and friends! Her "to do" list was longer then her arm! Phew! It was tiring to read her schedule, let alone living her hectic life!
Suggestions to make time for oneself:These multiple roles coupled with a lack of time often lead young women to neglect their own diet and health. Women in particular are predisposed to developing iron deficiency anemia, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Early lifestyle and dietary changes mentioned below can go a long way in protecting women from these preventable diseases.
- A balanced diet comprising of three main meals and two small snacks are good to keep up the energy levels and metabolism going throughout the day. The body needs a variety of essential nutrients. For a moderately active woman, 6-7 servings of wholegrain cereals, five-six servings of vegetables and fruits, two servings of milk and three servings of lean proteins are ideal.
- Snacks can consist of nuts, high fiber biscuits, chana and fibrous fruits.
- Women must include iron rich foods like green leafy vegetables, jaggery, eggs, organ meats, beans, lentils, figs and dates to compensate for losses during menstruation or increased requirements during pregnancy. Vitamin C aide's iron absorption, so plenty of citrus fruits like Kiwi, strawberries, oranges, tomatoes and broccoli must be included.
- Women are at a much higher risk of developing osteoporosis as compared to their male counterparts. Calcium is the most important mineral for healthy bones. High activity levels, weight bearing exercises and consumption of calcium rich foods like milk and its products, green leafy vegetables, beans and dried fruits can offer long term protection by improving bone density.
- The diet must include plenty of omega 3 fatty acids found in fish, which help to keep cholesterol levels under control. Saturated fats often found in prepared or ready to eat foods should be kept to a minimum and trans fats should be completely avoided.
- Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water daily prevents fatigue, headache and poor concentration. It flushes out toxins from the body and keeps the skin looking fresh.
- Women with sedentary jobs must get active. Joining evening Salsa classes with a partner or simply taking a brisk walk or a refreshing swim 4-5 times a week for 30 minutes is enough to compensate for lack of movement at work.
- Most important women must keep themselves updated on health issues.
So tell yourself to `Make time for me. Start today and now for I am worth it.'By. Poonam Vaswani, Dietitian, NutritionVista.com
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