Your Footprint On Your Female Family’s Health

By Linda Penkala, Author, LMT

Optimum Health For Life

. http://www.lindapenkala.com/

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Your Footprint On Your Female Family’s Health

Or Is It A Toe Print?

As we recently navigated February’s heart health month, learning a bit more about the status of women’s heart health, let’s explore how we can impact the most important people in the world – our family.

Why this matters is because death from heart disease, our #1 killer for women, requires education and awareness at every stage of a girl/woman’s life. Not simply baby boomers, but teenagers (and younger) who have a high level of chronic stress that impacts their hearts daily. This could lead to at least, 1.6 million years of a high-quality life, and boost the U.S. economy by $28 billion by 2040. As stated in the McKinsey Health Institute’s The State of Women’s Heart Health: a path to improved health and financial outcomes. Sadly, Black women have a higher risk and are more likely to experience earlier deaths than other ethnicities.

Within the first few months of this year, the American Heart Association researchers project that almost 60% of women will have some form of cardiovascular disease by 2050. The rise in high blood pressure may be the main driver setting the stage for earlier symptoms than needed. The answer and solution? Each of us can be an example from our personal lifestyle choices for family to witness.

The ripple effect of my health choices for my daughter and granddaughters to see is huge but not spoken about. The American Heart Association’s data shows a momentous trend: women’s health behaviors directly influence the CV outcomes of their family members, specifically daughters and sisters. It revealed that when women prioritize heart-healthy behaviors, their immediate family members are 40% more likely to adopt the same, within a year!

Eyes are on us, ladies, since we make up half the population in the workforce and community, and make decisions for over 80% of a family’s medical options. Our well-being is critical for others to see and sets a cascading effect in motion.  WHAT IF:

• Your nieces see you drop some lavender on their mom to help her relax and sleep better? Or heart-supportive oils like orange, cypress, or ylang ylang?
• What if your daughter saw you do Box Breathing while navigating a tough conversation?
• Your granddaughter knows you value friendship time, and you set dates accordingly?
• Your sister sees you pray in the morning while on vacation, and knows you do this faithfully, for your health?
• Your children are regularly part of a volunteer community passion project together?
• Your granddaughters see you give their moms a shoulder massage and knows they are always calmer afterward!

And so, your legacy travels through the years, seen by many, solidifying how choices, intention, and love, create the space for healthier hearts and robust lives!