True that men and women are alike in many ways, but the obvious difference occurs in the physical makeup of both sexes. The gap in gender plays a significant role in plenty of areas and needs to be considered especially when designing fitness goals for women. Women need to pay better attention to their physical needs. Exercise, nutritional requirements, and vulnerability to diseases in women can also not be turned a blind eye to. Read on to learn better about womens health.
Three important aspects of health
It is high time people started addressing the apparent differences between men and womens health. Apart from the differences in the physical and emotional aspect, there are many other differences too between the sexes. Taking care of individual health consists of paying attention to 3 different aspects regardless of age or sex:
- Physical Health
- Emotional Health
- Mental Health
Difference between men and womens health:
The fat content, fiber content, the shape of bodies and different metabolic rates all influence the overall health of the body. When talking about a female body, it is extremely distinct from that of a male’s.
Their exercise routines and nutritional requirements are different. Even the vulnerability to various diseases and mortality rate vary. Mental health and proper fitness goals for women also have a major role to play as far as physical health is concerned.
Mental issues, trauma, anxiety, and stress are all more prevalent in females. This and many other aspects prove why there is a world of difference between men and womens health.
The difference in the exercise routine between men and women:
Women need to exercise as much as men do. On an average, a woman needs to spend 150 hours a week doing mild exercises like jogging, running or cycling, for beginners. Carbs and fats can be better handled by womens health.
This is because their fat and muscle tissues are naturally better prepared to do so. It is important to monitor the fat and fiber intake to sport a good looking, healthy and toned body.
The difference in food requirements for men and women:
There are certain nutrients that are required more by a female body than a male. Some of them are listed below:
•Calcium:
Women face issues regarding bone health on a larger scale than men do. In order to ensure womens health and wellbeing, calcium must be included as per required in the diet. This is also the sole reason why osteoporosis is more common in women.
Hence, it is important to include calcium in a womens healthy diet as much as they need. Milk and green leafy veggies are rich sources of calcium. Organic calcium supplements will prove to be much effective and help the body in many ways.
•Iron:
Menstruation results in plenty of blood loss from the women’s bodies. This, in turn, results in anaemia. Introducing iron and folic acid in the diet will definitely help. Taking in organic supplements will also go a long way in improving this condition.
•Iodine:
Iodine is very deficient in our diet. This is the sole reason why the problem of goitre is so prevalent. Make it a point to use iodized salt in order to make up for the lack of iodine in the diet.
What kind of chronic illnesses women should watch out for:
Many people would be surprised to know that most chronic diseases pose greater threats to womens health than they do to men. The truth does not differ from the fact that women are more vulnerable to chronic diseases. Some of the chronic illness and their effects on men and women are discussed below:
Heart health:
High blood pressure, excess cholesterol, lack of physical exercise and diabetes all put men and womens health and wellbeing to the risk of heart health alike. Women sex hormone, estrogen, is responsible for reducing the risk of heart diseases by increasing HDL levels and reducing LDL levels.
After menopause, women are at greater risk of attracting heart diseases since the estrogen levels drop. In addition, smoking affects women adversely than men. The former are twice as likely to have a heart attack as the latter.
Autoimmune diseases:
Research has proved that of all autoimmune diseases occurring, 75% occur in women. Hence, women need to be more careful of their health especially when it comes to autoimmune disorders. It is common knowledge that autoimmune disorders arise due to the body’s soldier cells turning against the body. However, the exact cause is yet not known.
Autoimmune disorders arise due to various genetic, hormonal, and even environmental factors. Even so, no single reason can be pinpointed. Nevertheless, women remain at greater risk for this type of chronic illness.
Breast cancer:
It was, until late, believed that breast cancer is a women’s illness. However, men too are at risk for it. Women remain the most vulnerable to breast cancer due to their lifestyle and other factors. After lung cancer, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in females. Women need to be educated about this issue, and there is a great need for proper awareness on this front.
Osteoporosis:
After 30, women’s bone health begins to deteriorate. A number of reasons like tremendous physical work, lack of calcium in the diet, childbirth and other factors can give rise to osteoporosis in women.
The vulnerability to osteoporosis in women increases greatly with age, especially after hitting the 30-year mark. During this time, it becomes all the more important for women to take care of their health instead of falling prey to other opportunistic diseases and infections.
Conclusion:
The above-mentioned pointers are only for the purpose of awareness and enlightenment. They are not meant to discourage men from exercise and women from their daily women fitness activities and healthy eating habits. Women must make it a point to look after their physical health seriously lest they fall prey to illness and diseases. Women are prone to take their physical condition for granted.
Our society is conditioned in such a way that it seems women do not need any physical exercise to maintain their daily women fitness activities. Thankfully, due to proper awareness and the right education, this belief is slowly evolving. At the end of the day, every individual needs to look after their bodies regardless of their sexes, genders, and working patterns, and lifestyle.