Meet My Mom

This is my mom. Mother’s Day 2007. Doing one of the things she did best – being a grandma to my daughter. 

But she was so much more. Mother, sister, aunt, friend, teacher. Proud Bronx girl, Yankees fan, world traveler, avid professional tennis follower, fashionista, and lifelong lover of music and opera. She was creative, energetic, and almost always up for an adventure. Oh, and she knew how to throw a party before anyone ever heard of Martha Stewart. Small, but mighty, she never took no for an answer and wouldn’t dream of backing down from a fight. Until the fight she lost to Alzheimer’s.

So, of course, I’m thinking of her as we approach Mother’s Day. But something else has her on my mind, too. 

National Women’s Health Month kicks off on Mother’s Day with Women’s Health Week. It’s meant as a reminder for women to prioritize their physical and emotional well-being. And it got me thinking about the ways my mother did that and the ways she didn’t.

Mom never skipped her regular check-ups – yearly physical, mammogram, gynecology appointments, colonoscopy, skin cancer screening. She did it all. My brother and I used to joke that she treated the doctor’s office like a visit to a spa. And it kind of makes sense. She was proud of the fact that she looked and seemed younger than she was, and liked having that fact affirmed by her doctors. 

But, in spite of how attentive she was to her health, she missed some key things that could have made a big difference.

She prioritized the tests that had results, but neglected simple things like nutrition, stress reduction, and sleep. She grew up in an era where nutrition was mostly about what you weighed. She ate low-fat or artificially-sweetened foods and thought she was being “good.” She didn’t really think of it as a health tool beyond that. 

Need some vitamins? Grab a multi. High cholesterol? Take a statin. Elevated blood pressure? There’s a pill for that, too. 

This is not me telling you to go off your cholesterol or blood pressure meds – please don’t do that without talking to your own doctor.

It is me telling you that so much of your health is in your hands. Use all the tools you have. Have your screenings, get your check-ups, absolutely. But don’t forget that every system in your body is affected – for better or worse – by what you eat. Even things like your sleep and stress levels can be improved with the right nutritional foundation. 

Remember the things I’ve talked about here: eat the rainbow, pay attention to blood sugar control, reduce inflammation, hydrate, prioritize sleep, work on your stress, and exercise. 

And this Mother’s Day, encourage your mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, and friends to do the same. I can help! Book your free session now!