Skip to main content

5 Lifestyle Tips to Help Prevent Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Everything She Wants is urging women to take control of their health.  By changing our dietary and lifestyle habits, we can reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Photo: Breastcancer.org
According to Breastcancer.org -- the world's top-rated online breast health and breast cancer resource -- the overall incidence of breast cancer is projected to double globally by the year 2040 and occur more frequently in younger women.

Here are a few helpful lifestyle tips from "Think Pink, Live Green," a booklet published by Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, PA in conjunction with Breastcancer.org that will reduce the risk of developing breast cancer:

  1. Avoid taking extra hormones: It's best to avoid exposing your body to extra hormones, such as estrogen and progestin, which are contained in birth control pills and menopausal hormone replacement therapy. Instead, consider non-hormonal solutions such as an intrauterine device (IUD) for contraception, lubrication for vaginal dryness and meditation and acupuncture for hot flashes. Talk to your doctor if you feel you need hormonal medication to improve or maintain your quality of life.
  2. Maintain a healthy weight: Keeping to a healthy weight is mandatory for breast cancer risk reduction. Ask your doctor what is considered a healthy weight range for your height and body type.  A recalculation is needed during and after pregnancy.  If you're within the range, proper diet and exercise can help you maintain it.  If you need to lose weight, ask your doctor for safe ways to modify your diet and increase your physical activity level.  Cutting calories makes the biggest difference.
  3. Exercise regularly: Try to get at least 3-4 hours of exercise a week, but 5-7 hours is better.  Consider working with a certified trainer.  Mix it up in order to keep it fun.  Something as simple as walking with a friend is a great way to socialize and get the benefits of exercise.
  4. Limit alcohol use: The risk of breast cancer increases with the amount of alcohol consumed.  It's best to reduce consumption to 5 or fewer drinks per week. Less is better.  All types of alcohol count: wine, beer and hard liquor.  Drinking less will also help you maintain your weight.
  5. Quit smoking: If you smoke, stop!  If you're a non-smoker, limit exposure to second-and-third-hand smoke.  Avoid smokers and stay away from areas and clothing that smell of smoke.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Conway Discount Clothing Chain Closing in New York City

(Tracy E. Hopkins) It's the end of a budget shopping era. Conway discount stores are closing in New York City . As of this weekend, a sign on the sole Herald Square location (34th Street btwn 7th and 8th Ave) says the store will close in "7 Days." Before I relocated to the Big Apple, I was introduced to the discount chain while on a bus trip from Baltimore.  I recall the first time I saw Conway's signature pink bags carried by hurried shoppers in midtown. And Miss Foster, the trip organizer and a bargain hunter from way back, took me to the store for the first time. Conway store in the Fulton Mall./Tracy E. Hopkins When I moved here in 1994, my love affair with Conway continued.  I furnished my first apartment with discount knick-knacks and home goods from the store.  And much to my chagrin, in hindsight, I curated most of my wardrobe for my first full-time job from the long-shuttered 42nd Street and Third Avenue store. One regretful ensemble: Lime green and...
Post a Comment
Read more

DanceAfrica 2024 Returns to Brooklyn Academy of Music

The DanceAfrica Bazaar is one of my favorite annual street fairs. I love to watch folks show up and show out in their flyest Afrocentric garb and to shop for handmade beaded bracelets and earrings from the African vendors.  And when I'm fortunate enough to snag a ticket as I did this year courtesy of BAM, I enjoy watching the kinetic African dancers (this time the country featured is Cameroon) during the spirited and spirit-filled DanceAfrica performance at the Howard Gilman Opera House.   (Photos courtesy of BAM/Tony Turner) If you want to join in the fun, here's the weekend lineup that's truly for the culture. DanceAfrica 2024:  The Origin of Communities / A Calabash of Cultures Artistic Director Abdel R. Salaam DanceAfrica Spirit Walkers, Women Of The Calabash, The Billie's Youth Arts Academy Dance Ensemble, and Siren – Protectors of The Rainforest Fri, May 24 at 7:30pm; Sat, May 25 at 2pm & 7pm; Sun, May 26 at 3pm BAM Howard Gilman Opera House   (Pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Giveaway: Thank Your Friends with Merci Chocolates!

National Friendship Day was August 4, 2013, but Everything She Wants has decided to continue the celebration with a giveaway from merci fine European chocolates . While some friendships are for a season or a reason, other friendships are built to last a lifetime.  I’m fortunate to have two best friends: Cindy, whom I’ve known since junior high school and Deanna, who started out as my amusing intern.  Besides my mother and my husband, these girlfriends are my greatest confidants.  They’re like the sisters I never had and we’ve supported each other through personal trials and triumphs. So what better way to say ‘thank you’ to your friends than with merci chocolates?  One lucky reader will win a ‘Friendship Kit’  that you can either keep to reward yourself for being such a great friend or share with a deserving comrade. The kit includes: $25 Target gift card (yay!) 7 ounce box of merci chocolates A picture frame to display a photo of you a...
86 comments
Read more