The 7 habits of a healthy woman

Anuschka Coovadia believes that embedding healthy routines is more important than chasing miracle solutions.

Anuschka Coovadia believes that embedding healthy routines is more important than chasing miracle solutions.

Published Aug 19, 2013

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Durban - Anuschka Coovadia is a consultant in the healthcare team at KPMG. The mother of two, businesswoman and senior manager, with degrees in medicine, economics and actuarial science, shares what it takes to stay at the top of her game.

 

Our World

Highly effective women live in an unprecedented world – delicately balancing how we care for our families, our careers and our own well-being.

Like trapeze artists, every step we take is on a thin rope, high off the ground with no safety net below. And often we get caught in the perfect storm, when our children get sick, our husbands are away on business and our workload cannot be contained within normal office hours.

It is unsurprising that we are increasingly becoming victims of diseases, which are associated with high levels of stress, poor diet and insufficient physical activity.

In South Africa, one in four women suffers from cardiovascular disease and about 56 percent of women are obese. Cancers, particularly breast, cervical and colorectal; lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia; and psychiatric illnesses are the most common conditions we can protect ourselves against.

Unfortunately, violence and physical abuse are also substantial threats that South African women face, which are more difficult for us to find protection from.

 

Our Habits

Alpha women comfortably balance a baby on one hip, stir a pot with the other hand and make a mental shopping list in their heads, while listening to a conference call. Our time, energy and mental capacity is widely distributed over many competing demands and our approach to looking after our own healthcare needs tends to be one of crisis management.

Most working women prefer to “project manage” their episodes of disease rather than embed healthy habits into their daily routines.

We are highly susceptible to seeking the advice of “experts” who recommend ever-changing combinations of vitamins, shakes and isolated food groups.

These extreme attempts to attain a sense of well-being and health are never sustainable and are usually a very expensive exercise in futility.

However, they do demonstrate that we understand and are committed to the need to care for our own bodies and minds, as we care for the bodies and minds of those we love.

 

Our Opportunity

Applying the framework from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, we can design a roadmap, which directs us towards attaining an optimal level of well-being in a healthy and sustainable way.

 

1. Be Proactive

As consumers of care, we need to become active partners with our healthcare system. The role of our doctors must evolve from “God” to “guide” and we must begin to actively purchase health, instead of treating disease.

Most medical schemes provide benefits to their members for preventative care, such as screening for diabetes, high cholesterol or HIV, yet these remain largely underutilised.

Some funds and corporates even incentivise good behaviour, such as smoking cessation, loss of weight and complying with exercise regimes, by providing loyalty programmes and financial rewards. But ultimately, we need to find a way to intrinsically motivate ourselves.

We should all understand our personal health profiles and identify the main risks that we face, in relation to our family histories, current health status and recent biometric measures.

Commonly, insulin resistance and rising levels of cholesterol may be associated with weight gain, poor diet and hormonal imbalances – proactive management of these silent risk factors can avert the onset of disease and trade existing poor habits for future longevity.\

 

2. Begin with an end in mind

As we set goals in our careers, map our progress and perform regular appraisals, we need to clearly identify our own health targets, monitor how we progressively realise them and take time to reflect, when we reach a milestone, before setting another one.

Embedding healthy habits into our daily routines is far more important than chasing empty promises of miracle-solutions. For most of us it is very difficult to step out of our daily lives and reflect on potential future health problems, when we are usually surrounding by more pressing issues. However, the origins of cancers and lifestyle diseases are born silently and creep up on us insidiously.

Without deliberate action on our parts, we can unwillingly embark on a path we would rather not travel down. A clear beacon ahead always provides direction when we are faced with smaller choices. I encourage you to choose your own well-being and longevity, so that you can ensure, intentionally and deliberately, that all your daily decisions are aligned with your ultimate objective of attaining a healthy, strong, capable body.

 

3. Put first things first

Highly effective women are commonly exceptional organisers, communicators and implementers. They are able to achieve the extra-ordinary in the business world, while managing the lives of their children and supporting their husbands’ careers.

They do this by creating virtual and real lists, of tasks, goals, activities, events and deliverables. They understand how to delegate, in their homes and their offices, how to plan the week ahead, how to say “no” and how to develop a network of other women, who can support them, emotionally, strategically and physically.

Unfortunately, personal health matters are usually left to dwell in an inconvenient corner of their guilty conscience.

Your health needs to be the first thing on your list and on every one of your lists. My most successful colleagues are the women who are able to tackle their exercise regime, as their first task every day, or prepare their healthy meals, early in the morning, even before checking the emails that came in the night before.

Planning, organising and executing activities should include your health priorities, so that you avoid the trap of creating goals that inconsistently flick on and off your radar.

 

4. Think win-win

The win-win philosophy is based on the paradigm that one person’s success is not achieved at the expense, or exclusion, of another’s. As highly effective women adapt to a healthy lifestyle, a win-win situation is created for all those who are in their sphere.

Not only will their family benefit from the obvious improvements in diet, mood and energy levels, but their colleagues will also be inspired by their example and supported through their enhanced productivity.

Empirical evidence is clear that as the fate of a woman improves, the beneficial impact extends directly to the well-being of her children.

If we want to prevent the next generation from failing, we need to ensure that mothers are supported and encouraged to stay at work, but given the flexibility they need to attend to the health of themselves and their families.

We also need to learn from our male counterparts, who are skilled at creating and committing to group activities, which involve both exercise and fun – these times shared with friends are as important as they are special.

The entire health eco-system of our country derives immeasurable benefit from promoting population health and improving the well-being of women and children.

 

5. Seek first to understand

Many highly successful women have a tendency to rush in and fix things up with good advice or decisive action, but often fail to take the time to fully deeply understand the problem first.

With regards to health matters, we are blessed with the “Internet of Everything”, which is commonly the first port of call when one experiences an unfamiliar ache or pain.

As owners of our own “Longevity Projects”, we need to be sceptical when we are given information regarding our health.

We should always question the validity of the source and the relevance of the information, seek second opinions and, if in doubt, engage with professional bodies.

A trusted general practitioner is always your best option as your co-ordinator of care, sounding board and wellness coach. However, it may be necessary for you to drive the provision of your own preventative healthcare, as our healthcare system has traditionally been consumed by curative practices and often ignores the management of potential risks.

 

6. Synergise

Valuing the differences between yourself and others is the essence of synergy. If you are able to recognise that despite the fact that you may be a leader, a driver and a key strategist in your organisation, you could greatly benefit from the experience and expertise of others, when it comes to improving your physical and mental health.

Create a support structure for yourself, which can help you stay motivated, focused and committed.

Often women – and men – in executive positions, are unable to show any form of weakness or doubt, but you need to be able to differentiate between yourself as a leader in an organisation and a leader in your own life.

Implementing a change in your life is often far more difficult than expected – joining forces with friends or colleagues who have similar goals or face similar risks as you do, could lighten your load and make the journey more enjoyable.

 

7. Sharpen the saw

This last principle encourages highly effective women to apply different aspects of themselves to improving their health and well-being.

Mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, you need to nurture yourself and those around you, by adapting your different skills and capabilities to the task ahead.

To keep progressing on your path, you must learn, fail, commit, do and re-do … and do it all over again and again.

Longevity is ultimately determined by the little choices we make on a daily basis, and the passion we feel towards ourselves over a lifetime. - The Mercury

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