Celebrate National Women’s Health and Fitness Day

The last Wednesday of September is National Women’s Health and Fitness Day. Take a moment to think about your health. Do you exercise regularly? Do you know what it means to live a healthy lifestyle? Are healthy habits apart of your everyday routine?

If not, now is the time to start. Cancer takes the lives of more than 227,000 women each year, but up to 50 percent of cancer cases can be prevented with the knowledge we have today. It is critical that you make health and fitness an important part of your life to reduce your risk of cancer. Celebrate National Women’s Health and Fitness Day with your mother, sister, daughter or loved ones by sharing these cancer prevention tips.

Be Active: Moderate exercise at least three days a week can make a significant difference to your health and well-being. Physical activity reduces your risk of colon cancer by about 50 percent, and it plays a role in lowering your risk of other cancers. If you’re short on time, there are ways to fit in physical activity to your everyday routine like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, biking to work, taking a walk on your lunch break and moving around on commercial breaks when you watch TV. You can also join the Prevent Cancer Foundation and get active this weekend at the annual 5K Walk/Run on October 4^th.

Eat Healthy: Make healthy living a priority in your everyday life by eating a nutritious, balanced diet. Gradually make small changes to your diet and you will soon be on your way to instilling healthy eating as a daily habit. Incorporate more vegetables, fruits and whole grains into your diet, reduce consumption of red meats, skip processed meats, reduce your fat intake and limit alcohol.

Get Screened/ Know Your Family History: Screenings can detect cancer early, when it is most treatable. Discuss your family and personal health history with your health care professional to determine which cancer screenings are right for you based on your specific risk factors. Knowing your family history is important when talking to your health care professional, so talk to your family—and while you’re at it, encourage your loved ones to ask their health care professionals about which screenings are right for them.

Learn more about cancer prevention and early detection at preventcancer.org.