Posts for 'Women Health' Category

 Women with normal Body Mass Index need not do rigorous exercise to keep slim as a new study has claimed that an hour of moderate physical activity, like yoga and taking a stroll, daily is enough for maintaining their fitness.

In a 13-year-long study, a team of researchers led by scientists from the Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School found that by climbing stairs, taking a hike, taking a yoga class, or any other moderate physical activity thousands of healthy women maintain their weight without cutting calories.

“The only catch is that it only worked for women with a normal body mass index (BMI) who did these exercised for an hour daily,” the team was quoted as saying by the Scientific American. During the study, they monitored 34,079 relatively healthy middle age and older women seven times to gather information on weight and physical activity levels and saw that for women under the age of 65 and with BMIs below 25, exercise made a big difference.

Read the complete story

A woman in a skimpy white bikini sashays next to a swimming pool. Onlookers gawk, men's tongues roll and music blares in the background.

The camera zooms in slow motion to her jiggling chest as a message spreads across the screen:

"You know you like them/ Now it's time to save the boobs." It may resemble a beer commercial, but it's really.

Read the complete story

A new study has revealed that an average new mother takes nearly 10 months to get back to her shape before pregnancy.

Some even take up to three years to do so. Despite forcing themselves exercise regimes and daily diet plan, a third of all mothers never lose their baby weight at all.

Experts said that pictures of A-list mothers, such as Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie, looking slim only weeks after giving birth put enormous pressure on women.

The survey involving 3,000 mothers revealed that despite refusing to let the pressure go to head, 90 per cent of them felt inadequate when compared to super-skinny celebrities. More than half felt external pressure to slim straight away, while the rest said that they put pressure on themselves.

Read the complete story

Thousands of women could avoid breast cancer if they adopted healthier lifestyles, experts say.
They blame alcohol, lack of exercise and being overweight for four out of ten cases. Around 45,000 breast cancers are diagnosed each year, so at least 18,000 could be prevented if UK women drank less, kept a healthy weight and were more active. Breastfeeding babies is also an important factor in cutting the risk of the disease, which kills 12,000 women a year.

The latest study, by experts at the World Cancer Research Fund, is the biggest- ever review of research. It updates the fund's cancer prevention report in 2007, which looked at many different types of the disease.
Professor Martin Wiseman, WRCF medical and scientific adviser, said the report 'represents the clearest picture we have ever had' on how lifestyle affects the risk of breast cancer.

He said: 'We are now more sure than ever that by limiting the amount of alcohol that they drink, maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active, women can make a significant difference to their risk. 'We estimate over 40 per cent of breast cancer cases in the UK could be prevented just by making these relatively straightforward changes.

Read the complete story

You can be fabulous whatever your age! You don't have to be young. Most women feel their power at midlife and know who they are. I believe a woman can be sexier and more attractive as she gets older. The opportunity exists for every woman to find herself wiser, healthier, sexier and more fit. Most importantly, she is appreciative of each day. With maturity, we are more selective with our time and we make certain we spend that time with the people we care most about. We start to think about enjoying the moment and truly relishing it.

With wisdom, we are aware of our strengths and weaknesses and more accepting of ourselves. We've also learned where we want to focus our energy and time. I'd never want to go back to my younger self. Physically, emotionally and sexually, we are at our peak. With the right attitude and determination, we can achieve anything we set our minds to. The second half can be better than the first . . . it's up to you.

Read the complete story

It is a herculean task to manage home, children, family and a demanding job, and at the same time look fresh and radiant.

Many women who juggle different roles forget to take care of their diet. All women must take care no matter how busy they are: Always eat some fruit for breakfast because it gives the required energy to detoxify and aids in the elimination of wastes effectively.

2) Drink enough water, cut down tea, coffee to two cups in the day and substitute them by herbal drinks like jasmine, chamoile tea, which are great for skin hydration and a young looking skin. 3) With age, cut down on cereals and eat more of fresh fruits and vegetables to keep the weight off. 4) Walk and do stretches to keep your body supple, slim, youthful and full of energy. 5) Cut down on smoking and alcohol as it ages the skin fast.

Read the complete story

However the study found no link between breastfeeding and reduced risk fo cancer in those women without a history of breast cancer in their family.  The study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine used information from over 60,000 nurses who had given birth and had completed detailed questionnaires about their health with follow-ups every two years.  Around 44,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Britain.

Dr Alison Stuebe, then of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and now of the University of North Carolina found that for women at high risk of developing breast cancer, breastfeeding lowered that risk by as much as taking anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen as a preventive treatment.

Read the complete story

Access to the anti-cancer vaccine Gardasil has been widened with the positive effect of its Australia-wide rollout already evident. Rates of new genital wart cases have plummeted since the program to vaccinate young women and Australian schoolgirls got underway in mid 2007.

Dr Gerry Wain explains the drop-off in genital warts was the "first instalment" of health benefits the vaccine would deliver to Australia over the next few decades. His comments came as the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Tuesday gave approval for GPs to prescribe the vaccine to women aged up to 45 - an increase from age 26 - after reviewing new clinical data.

"It's not so much that warts are the most important thing in history," says Dr Wain, a gynaecological oncologist at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. "It's the fact you put a population vaccine program out there and you see very dramatic reductions ... Warts are the first instalment."

Read the complete story

We all knew exercise was good for our health, but we’re now finding out hitting the pavement or the gym is actually even better for us women than it is for men.

An article in the August issue of Journal of Lipid Research talked about the results of a long-term study of more than 8,700 men and women ages 45-64, which provided race- and gender-specific data on the cholesterol effects of physical activity.

The study showed that women, particularly black women, experience greater benefits as a result of exercise than men. At least an extra half hour of moderate activity per week resulted in higher levels of "good" HDL cholesterol for all, but the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels were significantly decreased in women, particularly menopausal and black women. Just one more reason to get off that couch and go for a walk. Your heart will thank you!

Research by Kidney Health Australia shows 52 per cent of SA women eat a selection of superfoods, said to contain powerful antioxidants and essential nutrients capable of preventing everything from ageing to cancer, each week compared with 38 per cent of women nationally.

Another survey, released yesterday by Newspoll and commissioned by Fernwood Women's Health Clubs, reveals 64 per cent of the Australian women who responded want to shed at least 5kg.

Read the complete story