Domestic Geek

One hour and 15 minutes left and I'm nodding off in my chair.

You can do everything right and live the most healthiest lifestyle possible and still end up developing cancer.

Early detection is a must to get the highest chance of survival once diagnosed. As a woman, I'm only familiar with the types of tests I need, but if there are any questions or concerns (man or woman), please consult your physician right away!

First, every woman should get an annual exam done at every year. In addition, you should be doing monthly self-breast exams. Once you turn 40 (or earlier if there is a history of breast cancer in your family), you need to start getting mammograms. I'll be getting my first one this year.

My friend Deb has some helpful links on her site:
Breast Cancer Resource Links
National Breast Cancer Foundation video called Beyond the Shock

As I've pointed out these last 22 hours or so, living a healthy lifestyle in our current social climate takes a bit of work. There's no easy button or magic pill that will make you suddenly healthy, especially if you've been abusing your body with lack of exercise and processed junk foods for a long time.

Fad diets, diet products, sudden weight changes...they all ultimately result in the failure of one's health goals. Eat right and exercise. That's it. That;s the magaic formula.

Amy stresses the importance of ridding your environment of molds and allergens. I can definitely relate to this piece of advice. When I worked at the pizza place, the water would seep under the tiles into the wooden subfloor below. You should've seen the black mold that was growing there. It was freaking disgusting. There was also a crawl space under building that had all kinds of crud growing in it.

I always felt sick working there. I knew it was the physical space because if I took any time off at all, I felt a lot better.

When everybody talks about their physical health, one important organ they forget is the brain. The brain needs to be exercised just like any other muscle in the body. Do everything you can to keep it active — read, write, learn new things, carry on intellectual conversations...don't just sit in front of a television or a computer and become a vegetable. You need to keep using those connections between nerves or they become unusable. A mind really is a terrible thing to waste.