“Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” – G.D. Anderson 

A very happy women’s day to all our beautiful readers! Celebrated on March 8th, it is an extremely special day dedicated to gender equality. We request you to continue reading if you identify yourself as a male/non female but have a mother, daughter, wife, girlfriend or even female friends (we practically covered everyone here, right!). 

I am sure some of you are wondering why is there a need to celebrate women, especially, if we are talking about gender equality. Is it because females, for centuries, were known as the weaker sex? Yes and no. Yes, we celebrate this day because females were known as the weaker sex, but we do it to raise awareness against this bias and to make our society more inclusive. 

Today, let’s talk about how you can be a healthier, stronger woman or support the women in your life to be mentally and physically fitter.

Start somewhere 

If you are clueless about where to begin your self-care journey then just think of taking one step at a time. A simple exercise could be to take a pen and paper and write down all the mental and physical aspects of your health that you need to work on.

Now, start with just one thing. Instead of trying to incorporate yoga, meditation, a particular diet, all at the same time in your routine, focus on one facet and add activities to support that. 

For example, if you are looking to be more comfortable and healthier during your menstrual cycle, try adding foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein and iron to your diet. Plant proteins from a daily serving of nuts like almonds, walnuts and peanuts, can help balance hormones thereby resulting in a more regular cycle. You can also start drinking more water and practice a couple of yoga asanas like Dhanurasana (bow pose), Ustrasana (Camel pose) and Bhujangasana (Cobra pose) everyday. 

Once you have successfully added these activities to your routine to the point that they become habitual, then you can focus on another area and work on that.

Not just physical  

As we are becoming more aware of our mental health, we need to carve out time for it as well. Most of us are struggling with some type or degree of stress, anxiety or sadness. Now a days, it has become extremely important to take care of our mental well-being just like we take care of our bodies with exercise and nutrition. 

You have probably heard it a million times, and we will tell you yet again that meditation is a really simple way to maintain your mental health. If meditation seems intimidating to you then you can take an introductory class or listen to YouTube videos to ease into it. Breathing exercises for mindfulness are also a great way to begin this lifelong adventure! Just 15 minutes of pranayama breathing, two times a day, can help you relax and improve sleep quality. 

Meeting and laughing with friends, sharing your experiences with them is not only a wonderful stress buster but it also fills your body with happiness hormones - endorphins. Another reason to go out with the girls! 

If you feel that none of these activities are able to improve your mental health and you really need help, then you can always try therapy. Therapy and counselling were taboos once, but with the rising number of mental health problems, people are realising the imperative need to nurture the mind and strengthen it. 

So, all you powerful, strong women out there, don’t be afraid to be your best, healthiest selves. Find some time for yourself everyday and don’t forget to celebrate this remarkable day! 

If there is something you’d like to share with us, please send us a mail at info@gonuts.in.