November 1st holds many special milestones for the year. The stores are now on their Holiday rampage bombarding us with holiday deals and breathing down our necks about how many shopping days are left. Halloween signifies the end of October, leaving us back to our normal selves and costumes crumpled up in our closets. Stores like CVS and Target give us toothaches with the 75 percent off Halloween candy that, to be honest, no one can resist. Fall is coming to a close, but do all the Autumn traditions close with it? We love October for the crisp mornings, and trick-or-treating, but we also love raising awareness for Breast Cancer and its survivors. Their battles and journeys do not end at midnight on October 31st.
Breast Cancer Myths
1. Breast Cancer Only Affects Women.
Yeah...no. Approximately 2100 men every year are diagnosed with breast cancer. The worst part of that statistic is that 400 of those men result in a fatal end. Men tend to have a higher mortality rate honestly because their awareness is significantly less than breast cancer awareness for women.
2. Family History is a Main Risk Factor.
Wrong, about 70 percent of women who were diagnosed with the disease have had no family history or other identifiable risk factors.
3. I am Too Young To Get Breast Cancer.
You are not invincible because you are still young. About 25 percent of individuals with breast cancer are younger than the age of 50.
Reduce Your Risk
1. Eat Well
A healthy diet can be directly correlated to not just your overall health later in life, but also your risk for cancer. Try to maintain a nutritious lifestyle limiting processed foods and red meats. Now is the time to go nuts over the fruits and vegetables!
2. Get Screened
It is never a bad time to check or to be safe. What do you have to lose by staying health conscious and on top of your healthy life?
3. Stay Active
You don't have to be a crazy yoga lady or the best in your kickboxing class, but just walking 30 minutes a day can lower your risk of breast cancer by 18 percent! Remember, men and women!
4. Step on the Scale
This is pretty much an echo of #1 and #3 but people who gain 30+ pounds since their age of 18 are 40% more likely to get the disease! That is almost a one out of two chance guarantee!
What Can I Do To Help?
1. Be an Example.
You can motivate people you care about just by worrying about yourself. People in your life will feel motivated after seeing how you take pride and care in your body, eating a nutritious diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Next time you're with your family or friends, talk about breast cancer. It is a real thing and it can happen to anyone. Just by talking about the subject helps people become more aware that they could get it too and should be proactive!
2. Educate Yourself.
As you can already assume, there are a lot of myths and unanswered questions about Breast Cancer. It only takes a few minutes to do minimal research on the subject. Does the food I eat make me at a higher risk? Am I being active enough? Do my friends and family know how to protect themselves? When you are making yourself aware of the little changes you could make to your daily routine is the first step to a long, healthy life.
3. Start a Fundraiser.
There are so many unique ways to raise money for a cause. Remember when it was so cool to have a lemonade stand? Well, now we get to do something highly positive and beneficial with our "lemonade-stand" earnings. From car washes to bake sales, even hosting a 5k can help raise not only funds for a charity but also raise even more awareness!
4. Put Yourself First.
I know at a young age we learn it is not OK to be selfish. Sometimes that is not always the case. You need to put yourself as a #1 priority, especially when it comes to your health! We become so wrapped up in our lives worrying about washing the dishes
