Being healthy has always been a priority for Mary Ann Robertson, even if she has slacked some as of late.
"I'm getting back into it though," Robertson from Victoria said. "I've started back exercising again. I've always been pretty conscious about that."
The priority Robertson places on her health is often the exception rather than the rule for women in the United States though. About 80 percent of women schedule a doctor's appointment for their pet before making their own, Pat Love, a licensed marriage and therapy counselor from Austin, said. Love was the speaker at DeTar Healthcare System's Healthy Woman expo on Tuesday.
Several women who attended the event at Leo J. Welder Center on Tuesday agreed that they would often forget to schedule appointments with their doctors.
"I've always done for others before I do for myself," Jo Ann Jalufka said. "When my kids were growing up, they always came first. Now that I'm retired, I volunteer and still don't have any time."
If you go
What: February's Health Woman program
When: 6 p.m., Feb. 24
Where: DeTar Medical Plaza North, 110 Medical Dr., Victoria
Who: Dr. Matthew Janzow and Dr. Michael Belew will speak about working with electronic health records.
Health tips
Establish core values. Take time to think of three adjectives you want your life to represent. Make them a priority and organize your life around those values.
Clean up your relationships. The lifeblood of energy for women is the relationships. Mend bridges. Make amends. Do whatever you need to fix them.
Do one thing at a time. The number one cause of stress in women is multitasking. Women are good at it, but multitasking causes more stress and accidents. The illusion is it saves time, but multitasking actually takes more time.
Source: Pat Love, marriage and therapy counselor
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Copyright (C) 2009, Victoria Advocate, Texas