BusinessDay 04 Feb 2018

40 BD SUNDAY
C002D5556 Sunday 04 February 2018
Women’sWorld
The female health check list in 2018
This is a reminder for
women that 2018 is a year
to take care of themselves
physically, mentally socially
and in fact on all
spheres. There are certainly factors
right under our control and one of
those is HEALTH; my health, your
Health.
There are many achievable
preventive measures that can be
taken to increase our chances, as
we get more mature at having a
good decent run with our health.
Apart from a healthy diet, exercise,
de-stressing, stopping smoking,
reducing alcohol intake to an acceptable
level and more, one of the
most important things we must do
is SCREEN.
Screening includes Blood pressure,
Blood Sugar, Eye test, Dental
check and clean, weight check in
relation to waist measurement and
BMI and etc.
BUT also includes cancer screening!
It is understandable that there is
no way to mention the word cancer
without the heart skipping a bit
but it is a wonderful and thankful
thing to see indeed when people
detect cancer early and are able to
continue living after treatment.
Presenting late in an advanced
stage becomes a more challenging
This February, show yourself some love
CHINWE OBINWANNE
This journey hasn’t always
been easy and I don’t kid
myself that it will be. I started
the fitness journey after
my third baby to see how much I
could push myself physically while
attaining the flat belly I wanted.
The beginning was hard. I woke
up on some days absolutely sore
and in no mood to do any form of
exercise. I had a home to run, a job
to do, and children to take care of.
How could I add in fitness?
I almost gave up many times, but
the hope that I’ll lose my belly fat
kept me going. There were times I
let negativity creep in accusing me
of being vain – I’d hear words like
“Abeg go and sit down, you have
three children for Christ’s sake, let
your body be” or “You still look
better than many people.”
At those times when the words
filled my head and I close my eyes
to the shine of my iron dumbbells
and the elasticity of my workout
gear, I saw defeat smiling victoriously
at me. Always feeling like it
had won. Then I would summon
every ounce of strength I had left
and attack my work-out like a
beast, willing time to fly so that I
could free my body from the torment
of pain.
Months later, my story changed.
I started seeing results that I didn’t
think was possible for someone
like me. Results that took me to the
mirror countless times just to be
sure; I started seeing muscles in my
belly and sneak peek of a one-pack.
That changed the way I saw
fitness, and the results of my hard
work became my motivation. I
knew within me that if I could see
one pack, it was possible to see two,
three and maybe even six. I also
noticed I had more energy to do
things, go long distances without
panting and care for my home
without breaking down.
My blood pressure which was
initially a bit high normalized,
and I was in the best health ever.
I started enjoying exercising. I
went everywhere learning and
educating myself on everything
concerning fitness.
Over a year after my fitness
journey began, I started taking
my fellow women on the same
journey to self-discovery, strength
and amazing results through the
NAIJAFITMOMS routine. Because
I am first a woman and then a
mother especially one living in
Lagos (the busiest city in Nigeria),
I knew first-hand the challenge
there is in losing post-baby weight
and incorporating fitness into a
mother’s life.
As a fitness coach/entrepreneur,
I decided to help women on
their fitness journeys because I
understand how tough it can be
to start and stick through.
When I hear how some women
have lost their confidence because
of their inability to lose excess
weight, or how some have spent
a better part of their adult lives
journey with financial and emotional
burdens on all involved.
So to cut a long story short especially
at the age of 40 years plus this
is the outline of what you MUST do
unfailingly because you deserve
every good life, in addition to other
general health checks outlined
above.
* Self-Breast Examination every
month 5-7 days after a period. If you
do not have a period anymore pick
the same date every month to do so.
* Annual Clinical Breast Examination
that is once a year
carried out by a Doctor or Nurse
who can... please note not all
doctors and nurses can do Breast
Examination.
* Mammogram every 2 years
which takes pictures to pick out any
abnormal areas which the fingers
are unable to palpate. Studies have
shown that the Mammogram can
pick up a lump or abnormal cluster
2 years before the fingers can. So
imagine that by the time one can
actually feel a lump, it has been
Massy
present for a while.
* Cervical Screening Gold Standard
Liquid based Cytology to screen
for cervical cancer
May I mention that with many
years of sexual activity taking the
HPV vaccination -as some clinics
who wish to make money sell to
unsuspecting women-is really not
effective.
We have all probably been exposed
to the Human Papilloma virus
from time to time over the years
and by and large the body does deal
with it effectively and gets rid of it
especially if one’s immune system is
operating quite well.
However if one is concerned
your doctor can test you for HPV
and if you are negative then the
vaccine could be considered. But you
must have an in-depth discussion
with your doctor before this.
At this stage though you should
be more concerned to have your
teenage and young adult daughters
get the vaccine. Age range is 9 years -
26 years. In some countries the HPV
is now being licensed for use in boys
of the same age
Dr Oge Ilegbune,
General Practitioner,
Head of strategy, development
and outreach at Lakeshore Cancer
Centre
Photo credit: Urban Gyal
living on fad diets just to look the
way they want, it breaks my heart.
There are so many lies peddled
just to get people desperate to lose
weight to part with their hardearned
money.
But what I’ll tell you quite honestly
is that exercising and eating
a balanced diet still remains your
best bet for a healthy and fit self.
The journey is not easy, results
are not immediate, the motivation
won’t always be there, and time
may never seem right, you’ll want
to give up, also people will try to
discourage you but I promise that
the rewards far outweigh the challenges
and excuses.
Fitness is a lifestyle, one that
in old age, you’ll be thankful you
adapted. I love the fact that I look
good in clothes when I eat healthily
and stay fit, but more important
than that, I love the fact that I feel
good on the inside – and isn’t that
where one’s real essence is…On
the inside?
This February, show yourself
some love for the sake of Valentine’
season – do right by your
body. If you don’t know where to
start, shoot me an email on info@
naijafitmoms.com and I’ll be glad to
help you figure that out.
WARIF tackles
gender-based
violence through
the arts
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
The Women At Risk International
Foundation
(WARIF), a leading nongovernmental
organisation
in Nigeria fighting against
gender-based violence, has
expanded its advocacy through
the arts in tertiary institutions.
The organisation said the
preventive programme in tertiary
institutions is using the
arts as a tool for change, with
theatre and role-playing as the
medium.
Short skits presented by
trained actors highlighting the
prevalence of sexual violence
and issues surrounding genderbased
violence. The extent of
the problem and the impact of
the initiative will be obtained
from information measured
from pre and post surveys.
The new initiative, WARIF
advocacy Through Arts (WTA)
which seeks to create awareness
is driven by this principle
to change behavioural patterns
and discourage gender-based
violence (GBV) in tertiary institutions.
Bolanle Austen-Peters, director
and producer, Founder
Terra Kulture and Bap Productions
commenting on this new
initiative and her organisation’s
recent partnership with
WARIF stated that, “Genderbased
violence and violence
in general is unacceptable and
therefore condemnable.”
Adding that, “Arts and theatre
are used to create awareness
and address issues in a creative
way. Art is our weapon. Art
is our voice. We celebrate our
partnership with WARIF to
create a brighter future and a
better society.”
Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, founder,
WARIF, commenting on the
new initiative said, “We recognise
the urgent need to engage
the young women and men
in our tertiary institutions;
where a significant number
are affected by this problem
and create an awareness and a
change in the mind-set already
laid down by our existing
socio-cultural norms and the
gender disparity that exists
between the sexes.
“What better way of doing
this than through the arts, which
captures the mind, speaks to the
heart of all those present and
serves as a perfect vehicle to effect
social change,” she said.
Adding that WARIF through
the ARTS will make its stage
debut on February 6, 2018, at
the College of Medicine, Idi-
Araba, Lagos with a second
presentation on February 7,
2018, at University of Lagos at
the Law Students of Nigeria
Convention.