By April Hussar
SELF.com

Happy National Women's Health Week, ladies! This week is all about YOU -- and we have all the advice you need to make the most of it and end the work week healthier than when you started.

National Women's Health Week, now in its 13th year, is a week-long health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health. Dedicated to empowering women to make health a top priority, this year's theme is, "It's Your Time."  

"Healthy, strong women are essential to having healthy strong children and communities, but too often women place the needs of others before their own needs," says U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Here are 5 ways to put YOURSELF first this week by improving your physical and mental health and lowering your risks of certain diseases:

1. Visit a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings. Monday, May 14 was National Women's Checkup Day. Now, you already know you should be getting a yearly checkup from your general practitioner, and keeping your annual gyn appointment (right?), but don't forget about your teeth, your skin and your eyes! Most health care insurance plans cover a dermatologist checkup, something to take advantage of, considering that between 1970 and 2009, melanoma increased eightfold among young women and fourfold among young men ages 18 to 39, according to a new study from the Mayo Clinic. And if you need to get your teeth cleaned but are worried about the costs, here are SELF's three ways to lower your dental bills.

2. Get active. You might say "no duh" to this one, but remember that getting active doesn't have to mean working out at the gym or going for a run (though those are super healthy ideas, of course!). The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has a great idea for a fun way to burn 100 calories in 20 minutes -- wash your car by hand! You'll get some fresh air and save some money, and it's a fun excuse to put on some cut-offs and splash your cute neighbor with some suds! For 58 (yes, 58) more fun ways to burn 100 calories, check out SELF's slideshow of fun suggestions.

3. Eat healthy. Another no-brainer, but sometimes it just seems "easier" to grab a slice of pizza on the go or swing through a drive-through on your way to work. We've got you covered! Here are 8 "no-excuses" grab-and-go breakfast ideas, and for tasty, easy and healthy dinner recipes, check out SELF's 14 Quick Weeknight Meals.

4. Pay attention to your mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress. Fitness doesn't stop at the banishment of your muffin top. One surefire way of improving your beauty sleep is to banish technology from your bedroom. Desktop computers, iPhones, BlackBerries ... Joseph M. Ojile, MD, board member of the National Sleep Foundation and founder and CEO of Clayton Sleep Institute in St Louis, MO, says they're all "extremely disruptive" -- from the bright light of the screen to the cognitive distraction of wanting to reply to emails or texts. Getting a truly good night's sleep goes a long way to helping you feel good -- in body and mind. 

And if you need more ways to combat stress, SELF has 19 of them here (from dining by candlelight to brightening up your desk).

5. Avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt or bicycle helmet. What if for one week, you treated yourself with the care you'd give to your own kid? Buckle up, don't give in to a "social smoke," wear your sunscreen and make all those smart decisions you'd want your own daughter or best friend to make.

For more about National Women's Health week, visit womenshealth.gov/whw

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Women's Health

When it comes to stomach pain, finding the cause of your tummy trouble can be harder than solving an advanced Sudoku. Use this symptom decoder to help decipher what's up with your gut.

1. Acid Reflux
What it is: Acid flowing backward from the stomach up into the throat. It affects 20 percent of adults at least once a week.

What it feels like: Pain or burning below your breastbone that's usually worse after you eat or when you lie down, says David Peura, M.D., former chairman of the National Heartburn Alliance.

Fix it: If you feel the burn only a few times a year, treat it with antacids like Tums. If you get it a couple of times a week, you could have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). A doctor can determine whether a medication to reduce acid production will help you.

Related: Stomach Pain Cures From Top Docs

2. Appendicitis
What it is: Inflammation of the appendix, a narrow fingerlike pouch attached to the colon. About 10 percent of people will have trouble with it sometime in their lives.

What it feels like: A dull discomfort around your belly button that moves to your lower right abdomen. It becomes extremely painful as time passes—and walking makes the pain worse.

Fix it: Go to the emergency room immediately! You need surgery to yank your appendix. If you wait too long, it can rupture, spewing bacteria all over your innards—disgusting and life threatening.

3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
What it is: A malfunction of the nerves that control the intestines, experienced by 20 percent of adults.

What it feels like: Nausea, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation and cramps in the lower part of your abdomen. These symptoms tend to lessen when you move your bowels, says Lauren Gerson, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Fix it: Visit the doctor, who will probably prescribe an antispasmodic drug to regulate your impulse to go and relieve the general discomfort as well.

Related: 5 Moves to Cure Indigestion

4. Gallstones
What they are: Pea- to golf ball-size nuggets in the gallbladder, a sac connected to the liver and small intestine. Made of hardened cholesterol and bile (a fluid that helps digest fat), they're caused by a high-fat diet or a gallbladder that doesn't empty properly. Women are more likely than men to develop them—up to 20 percent of women have them at some time.

What they feel like: A sharp pain in your upper middle abdomen that moves to your right side, under your rib cage. The pain can worsen after eating.

Fix it: If the pain doesn't go away in a few hours or you're running a fever or vomiting, go to the doctor. She can diagnose gallstones via CT scan or ultrasound. You may need surgery to remove the gallbladder.

5. Ulcer
What it is: A sore on the stomach lining. Ten percent of the population will have one at some point in their lives.

What it feels like: Burning pain in your stomach that comes and goes but feels worse when you're hungry.

Fix it: If you're taking nonsteroidal drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen, stop immediately, Peura says—these medications eat away at the stomach lining. See your doctor; you may need antibiotics to kill ulcer-causing bacteria, or even surgery.

Related: 8 Easy Ways to De-Stress

6. Lactose Intolerance
What it is: Discomfort after consuming milk products due to a deficit in the enzyme that digests lactose, the sugar found in dairy products.

What if feels like: Nausea, cramps, bloating, gas, and/or diarrhea 30 minutes to two hours after eating or drinking foods containing lactose.

Fix it: Drink less milk, or have it with other foods to slow the digestion process. Try experimenting with an assortment of dairy products. Hard cheeses such as Swiss or cheddar have small amounts of lactose and generally don’t cause symptoms. Important note for the lactose intolerant: because dairy products are some of the most common sources of calcium, make sure you’re getting enough of that essential mineral elsewhere in your diet.

7. Crohn's Disease
What it is: The most common of a group of diseases called inflammatory bowel disease. Crohn’s usually affects the end of the small intestine and the colon.

What it feels like: Persistent abdominal pain, diarrhea, weight loss, sometimes fever. You might find blood in your stools.

Fix it: Crohn’s is most common in people under age 30. Though treatable, there is no cure. Treatments include anti-inflammatory medicines and steroids, which you might have to take for a few years or for a lifetime.

Related: 12 Ways to Reduce Your Disease Risk Now

8. Colitis
What it is: A common type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects only the colon and rectum. A young person’s disease, most cases are diagnosed by age 30.

What it feels like: Belly pain or cramps, bloody diarrhea, an urgent need to have a bowel movement, weight loss, nausea, and sometimes vomiting.

Fix it: If mild, treat the symptoms with over-the-counter medications. In severe cases, you might have to take anti-inflammatory medicines or steroids.

9. Celiac Disease
What it is: A digestive disease that damages the small intestine due to an intolerance to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Often misdiagnosed as IBS, celiac disease is now considered one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders.

What it feels like: Cramping, bloating, and diarrhea. More serious symptoms include anemia, osteoporosis, and even infertility.

Fix it: Avoid that pizza—the remedy for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet. Fortunately, there are plenty of great gluten-free products available these days.

Related:The Truth About Gluten

10. Thyroid Disease
What it is: A deficit or an overabundance of the hormones secreted by the thyroid gland. Too much can kick your metabolism into high gear; too little can make it sluggish.

What it feels like: A hyperactive thyroid can cause diarrhea; a sluggish thyroid can cause constipation. Other symptoms vary widely for both hyper- and hypothyroidism, but can include weight loss or weight gain, a racing heartbeat or low energy, nervousness or depression, hair loss, and more.

Fix it: Your doctor will probably prescribe a hormonal drug to regulate your thyroid. Occasionally surgery is necessary in severe cases.

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Women who are considering getting their fallopian tubes tied should instead have them removed altogether, some doctors say. And, they add, perhaps even women undergoing any type of abdominal surgery should also have their tubes removed, as long as they don't want any more children.

That's because recent research suggests a woman's fallopian tubes are the true source of some of the deadliest ovarian cancers, and removing them could lower her risk of developing the disease.

"The research supports the possibility that the fallopian tube could be thought of as a target for prevention," especially in women who are having surgery anyway for other reasons, said Dr. Robert Burger of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where he is the associate director of gynecologic cancer research.

In fact, doctors in British Columbia now routinely discuss removing the tubes with all women who've completed child-bearing and are having pelvic or abdominal surgery, such as a hysterectomy, said Dr. Jessica McAlpine, a gynecologic oncologist at Vancouver General Hospital and the British Columbia Cancer Agency. Statements issued from the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists of Canada indicate such discussion takes place across Canada.

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"It’s a much more conservative approach here" in the United States, Burger said, "and we pay for it. When this type of cancer develops, the mortality rate is so high, it's second only to pancreatic cancer."

There are genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, that raise a woman's risk of developing what are known as high-grade serous ovarian tumors, but 90 percent of the cases show no clear genetic link to the disease. 

"To add a minimal-risk surgery to an operation that’s already being performed — to me, it’s a no-brainer," Burger said. "And most women have no idea about this."   

Out of tubes, into the ovaries
The National Cancer Institute estimates 22,280 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year, and 15,500 women will die of the disease. "Over 75 percent of ovarian cancers are high-grade serous cancers," the deadliest ovarian cancers, Burger said. 

Research in the 1990s led to the discovery that some of these cancers begin in tube cells a short distance from the ovaries. Shortly after it was learned that women with mutations in the BRCA genes were at increased risk of ovarian cancer, these women were offered prophylactic surgery to remove their fallopian tubes and ovaries. 

By the mid-2000s, pathologists studying the removed tissues began to report cases in which early cancers were visible in the very ends of the fallopian tubes but not in the ovaries. 

"We thought maybe this is the source," Burger said. 

Then in 2007, a major paper published in the Journal of Pathology took a close look at the genes of ovarian cancer cells — from women with and without BRCA mutations — and determined that the fallopian tubes were the true site of origin for many ovarian cancers. Research showed how normal fallopian tube cells evolved into early cancers and then into invasive cancers — a process that had eluded researchers focused on the ovary itself. 

Studies since then have suggested that 50 percent to 84 percent of high-grade serous tumors arise from the tubes, said Dr. Ronny Drapkin, an assistant professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, and one of the authors of that study. 

Different risk levels
The findings have different implications for women depending on how high a risk they are at for ovarian cancer. 

Women in the general population, who are not at a high risk of ovarian cancer or who don't know their risk, "should seriously consider having their tubes removed" if they have completed childbearing and are having any abdominal surgery, Burger said. And post-menopausal women in this group should consider having both their ovaries and tubes removed, he said. 

Drapkin and McAlpine agreed, and Drapkin said he recently recommended to his sister, who was planning to have a hysterectomy, that she have her fallopian tubes removed during the operation. (She did.) 

There are risks that come with removing the fallopian tubes, a procedure called a salpingectomy. The main worry is that the blood supply to the ovaries will be cut off, Drapkin said. During an operation, surgeons cauterize blood vessels, and the anatomy in that part of the body is complicated. An operation aimed at removing only the tubes "could compromise the viability of an ovary," he said. And of course, there are risks anytime a person is put under general anesthesia, Drapkin added. 

For women at high risk for the disease, the situation is quite different, as they are currently offered surgery to remove both the ovaries and the fallopian tubes once they complete childbearing, Drapkin said. But these operations send women into early menopause, which brings its own health risks, such as an increased risk of cardiovascular problems and bone disease, he said. 

"The question has become, should we just be removing the tubes instead?" Drapkin said. The idea that's floating around among experts is that high-risk women could have their tubes removed once they're done having children. Then, after natural menopause, the ovaries could be removed as well. 

But leaving in the ovaries is a scary proposition for some. While the evidence shows that a majority of the cancers arise from the tubes, there isn't evidence that all do, Drapkin said. "The worry is, what if we miss one? It's not like breast cancer or colon cancer — there's no screening tool, and it’s a potentially lethal disease." 

Other unknowns include whether high-risk women who opt to retain their ovaries are depriving themselves of the protective benefit against breast cancer that comes from ovary removal, McAlpine said. 

Until more studies are done, the decision is highly individual and can depend on the age at which other women in the family developed ovarian cancer, as well as a woman's own age, she said. It may make more sense for a 30-year-old than for a 45-year-old to leave her ovaries in. 

Will tube removal become common?
Among researchers and physicians, there has been "more widespread acceptance, and general awareness, over the last one to two years" of the evidence that these ovarian cancers arise in the fallopian tubes, McAlpine said. 

But what's being done about it "varies from nothing to tentative" action, she said. 

McAlpine recently examined a database of ovarian cancer cases in British Columbia, looking at the numbers of women who had undergone a hysterectomy or tubal ligation (tube-tying) prior to developing cancer, and at the rate of referral to genetic counselors and surgeons for women at high risk of the cancer. 

She estimated that 40 percent of ovarian cancer cases in British Columbia could be prevented if the fallopian tubes were removed from every woman with BRCA mutations or were undergoing a hysterectomy or tubal ligation. A similar result would be likely in the U.S., where the rate of women undergoing tubal ligation is about the same and the hysterectomy rate is slightly higher, she said. 

What needs to be done, all of the experts said, is a clinical trial. 

A study of women who aren't at high risk is likely to come first, Drapkin said. For example, researchers could look at women having hysterectomies, and compare the rates of ovarian cancer between those who also had their tubes removed and those who didn't. 

Burger added that the new understanding of ovarian cancer could lend itself to a renewed search for ways to screen for the disease. Pelvic exams, transvaginal ultrasounds, and blood tests that look for a molecule called CA-125 have all been tried, but none has proven effective in catching cancer cases early. 

"We really need to study the fallopian tubes to pick up the abnormalities," Burger said. Researchers should look for ways to examine the tubes "almost like colonoscopies." 

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Jgi/jamie Grill / Getty Images/Blend Images

"Highly charged women often don't sense that they're burning out," says Debbie Mandel, author of "Addicted to Stress." "They get addicted to the high of accomplishment."

By Maura Rhodes
Women's Health

It's 6 a.m., and Alena Burley's alarm clock is screaming. By 7:30, the 23-year-old from Tallahassee, Florida, has walked her dog, eaten an egg-white omelet, showered, dressed, and driven 30 minutes to her third-grade teaching job. By 4:30, her dog is back on its leash, then Alena sprints to the gym before her grad-school class, after which she rushes to her evening babysitting gig. Back home well past 10 p.m., totally beat, she grades papers and falls into bed, after setting her alarm...for 6 a.m.

"Sometimes I go so nonstop that I suddenly realize I've had to go to the bathroom for hours," says Alena. "I feel burned-out all the time, but when I look around, everyone I know is just as busy."

Of course, such a frenzied day-to-day is nothing new. Women have been run ragged for decades, especially after they entered the work force en masse, juggling career and family responsibilities. But Alena's attitude exemplifies a novel and more worrisome psychological shift: Young women have accepted exhaustion as a normal state of being. But even youth is no defense against the health hazards that come with such grueling schedules.

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Resisting a rest
Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proclaimed insufficient sleep a public health epidemic. And an American Psychological Association survey showed a large gap between the level of stress people say they experience and what they think is healthy. But another survey found that when women are tired, 80 percent are at least somewhat likely to push right on through. "We live in a culture in which people accept lagging energy as a fact of life," confirms integrative medicine specialist Frank Lipman, M.D., author of "Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again."

It's a mindset that starts early. "We're now primed to be fatigued from the get-go," says anesthesiologist Bradley Carpentier, M.D., who has studied causes of exhaustion. "Kids are loaded with after-school activities; high schoolers are busy getting into college, where they'll only get up earlier and stay up later. Then come careers, the iPhones and BlackBerrys, the 24-7 multitasking."

Yet many experts believe more is going on than just crammed calendars. They point to a need for validation that often drives women to never say no. "Women are caught up in the societal expectation that, in order to get ahead, a price must be paid, and that price is exhaustion," says sleep researcher Karin Olson, Ph.D., R.N., of the University of Alberta. Even those who step off the career track to start families don't necessarily slow down. They just switch lanes, trading insane office hours for marathon mommying.

Women are also more prone than men to feel guilty if they can't fit it all in and are therefore less likely to challenge exhaustion acceptance, says Carol Landau, Ph.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry and medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. "We tell ourselves, I can't go to bed now, because X, Y, and Z aren't done perfectly" she says. Plus, social cues prime women to internalize the idea that family, and possibly friendships, are a priority, making them feel culpable for, say, spending extra hours at work.

The result? Women pile on more, accepting less rejuvenating time for themselves. "Some do feel a sense of helplessness about it," says Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D., author of A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness. "But they feel they have no control, so they don't try to do anything about it."

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Tired without a clue
Perhaps more alarming is that some women don't even realize they've accepted exhaustion, or that they're exhausted at all. With serious fatigue comes a continuous rush of the stress hormone cortisol, which can act as a mental and physical stimulant. And just as your brain rewards you for an awesome physical experience, an orgasm, for instance, it releases feel-good 8 S chemicals after a big score in your career or personal life. Because of this, says Debbie Mandel, author of "Addicted to Stress," "highly charged women often don't sense that they're burning out. They get addicted to the high of accomplishment."

That high can override fatigue, allowing women to function while essentially flying at half-mast, says Lombardo. "You may not even realize how tired you are," she says. "You may think, Oh, this is just how I am." The problem is, no high lasts forever, and oftentimes when women come crashing down, they feel the need to build themselves up by augmenting their to-do lists, perpetuating the cycle.

"Women can get so used to feeling lousy that they don't remember what it's like to feel good," says sleep medicine specialist Katherine Sharkey, M.D., Ph.D., of Rhode Island Hospital. "And studies show people aren't good at gauging how impaired they are by exhaustion." Therein lies a big issue: Being chronically fried leads to a laundry list of physical and psychological woes.

Ragged to rejuvenated
As with most health conditions, the first step to reversing relentless fatigue is recognizing it, and recognizing that it's bad for you. "Getting too little rest is like ingesting a toxin," explains Robert J. Hedaya, M.D., founder of The National Center for Whole Psychiatry in Chevy Chase, Maryland. "There isn't a single bodily function that isn't affected. Your nervous system becomes disregulated. You can lose muscle mass. You lose sex drive."

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"Chronic tiredness also affects your immune system, making you more susceptible to colds," adds Lombardo. "When you're sleep deprived, you're more likely to gain weight. And research has found that driving while exhausted can be as hazardous as driving drunk. Think about it: Sleep deprivation is used to torture prisoners in captivity, and yet we do it to ourselves on a regular basis."

Still not convinced it's time to own up to your exhaustion acceptance? "Many exhaustion features are also symptoms of depression," says Olson. "A cardinal sign for both is the inability to experience feeling. I worry that some women are being diagnosed with depression when really they're just worn out."

Most of the signs of exhaustion are obvious: You're likely well aware that shunning shut-eye can make you look and feel like a zombie. You'll also obviously have less energy, and you might find yourself being bitchy or overemotional, says Lombardo. Exhaustion can lead to arguments with your partner and the inability to finish projects at work. In other words, it puts you way off your game.

It's time to make chilling out a priority. "Right now, we give ourselves medals for the number of hours we spend working and not sleeping," says Lombardo. "Be proud of yourself for getting rest. Maybe that's not something you'd brag about to your friends, but when you're energized, everything changes." Start by taking these easy steps:

Choose to snooze
Most adults should log seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Hit the sheets at around the same time each evening, says Sharkey. "If you vary your bedtime, even by 30 or 60 minutes, your circadian rhythms get out of whack and you'll feel like you have jet lag every Monday morning," she says.

Eat for energy
Kicking off the day with a meal that lacks nutritional value, ahem, that sugar-packed muffin and latte, puts a dent in your metabolism and sets you up for exhaustion later, says Hedaya. Make sure your breakfast includes around 20 grams of protein and some healthy fat, both of which help keep your energy up. Try some peanut butter or a handful of almonds stirred into low-fat yogurt.

Get your head out of the game
No, meditation is not a New Agey time waster. An a.m. om session can be highly relaxing and may straighten out taxing mental disarray. "Meditating in the morning can help clear your mind so that you can then do things faster and with more focus," says Lipman. "You can actually end up with more time." Aim for 20 minutes of quiet reflection before or after breakfast.

Be crafty
Remember that achievement high? You don't need to log 18-hour days at work to find it. Outside hobbies and passions yield the same effect. "I call this creative compensation," says Mandel. "It ends up being restorative, because you are accomplishing something that's just for you." Think about what's appealing to you, cooking, writing, painting, and devote an hour or two to it each week. And try to surround yourself with pals who live more balanced lives and soak up their perspectives. Together, you can aim to ditch your exhaustion acceptance.

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The community of bacteria in the vagina that is considered "healthy" for a woman can vary a lot between individuals, a new study suggests.

The finding is contrary to the prevailing idea that some vaginal microbes are nearly universally good for a woman's health while others are bad. For example, doctors have said women need high levels of Lactobacillus bacteria, which produce lactic acid, in the vagina. But some women in the study had low levels of these bacteria and were still in good health.

In addition, the community of vaginal bacteria in some healthy women varied greatly over a short time while remaining constant in others. The findings suggest variations in vaginal bacteria, thought to put women at risk for disease, may be normal for some.

"There's this belief or this thought that every woman's the same," said study researcher Jacques Ravel, an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The new findings suggest "there's somewhat of an individualized microbiome that represents health in these women," Ravel said.

The study could change how women are diagnosed and treated for conditions such as bacterial vaginosis, in which the population of "normal" vaginal bacteria is said to be disrupted. Women are typically evaluated for the condition at one point in time, but doctors may need to test women multiple times to see if the population of bacteria changes, Ravel said. He added that he suspects bacterial vaginosis is overdiagnosed. The researchers said they hope the findings will reduce unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics for the condition.

The study, involving 32 women, was published May 2 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. Ravel said the researchers are currently conducting a larger study in 160 women, with more frequent sampling, to confirm and expand upon their findings.

No such thing as 'normal'
The women whose vaginal bacteria were analyzed were of multiple ethnic groups and of reproductive age. They were asked to use swabs to collect vaginal samples twice a week for 16 weeks, and the researchers used genome sequencing to identify the bacteria in the samples.

The researchers classified bacterial communities based on the type of microbes that dominated the sample. They found that communities varied dramatically over time in some of the women, but remained constant in others.

Four women had stable bacterial communities and appeared healthy despite low levels of Lactobacillus. Six others showed substantial variation in the bacteria in their samples, but tended to have high levels of Lactobacillus.

The researchers noted that sexual activity and menstruation are the major factors that drive changes in the vaginal bacterial community.

Tailored treatments
The study "will help to better refine treatments for women who may be experiencing vaginal symptoms, and possibly help to minimize the use of antibiotics," said Dr. Elizabeth Poynor, a gynecologic oncologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, who was not involved in the study.

Ravel said it may be possible to classify women in groups based on the types of bacteria present in the vagina, which could pave the way for tailored treatments and health recommendations. For instance, certain types of probiotics might be beneficial for vaginal health for some women but not others.

While variation in vaginal bacteria may be a risk factor for infection, it can also be a woman's normal state, Ravel said.

"You can be at risk of a heart attack and still be normal," Ravel said. Women whose vaginal bacteria varies greatly over time may need to be aware that they are at higher risk, but not necessarily need treatments until a certain point in life, such as when they become pregnant, he said.

Follow MyHealthNewsDaily staff writer Rachael Rettner on Twitter@RachaelRettner. Find us onFacebook.

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On average, women in the study did 18 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily, while men did 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily, according to the study.

People in the study who did not do at least 30 minutes of exercise daily were at increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of symptoms linked with cardiovascular disease, including high blood sugar, high blood pressure and low levels of "good" cholesterol.

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The study involved a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 U.S. men and women who participated in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey in 2005 and 2006. Participants wore a device called an accelerometer, which keeps track of movement, around their waist for at least four days.

Overall, women in the study had healthier behavior than men, for instance, women were less likely to smoke, but the lack of physical activity still put them at risk for metabolic syndrome, said study researcher Bradley Cardinal, professor of social psychology of physical activity at Oregon State University.

The study did not address why women exercised less than men, the researchers said. However, the researchers said that patterns of activity that begin in childhood typically continue throughout adulthood.

Women also often cite a lack of time to exercise due to child-rearing, said study researcher Paul Loprinzi, also of Oregon State.

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Other work from these researchers shows that adults can enhance their health by accumulating physical activity in short periods throughout the day, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or pacing while talking on the phone.

The study was published in online March 12 in the journal Preventive Medicine.

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It's infuriating when it happens in a meeting: You know you have a unique take on the problem at hand, but when a colleague shows off a pair of particularly smarty pants -- well, it's hard to get the guts to voice your dumb old opinion. 

But here's a bit of encouraging news: Those insecurities are probably all in your head, and that's especially true if you're a woman. 

The social dynamics of a group setting can actually lower the IQ scores of some people, according to a recent study led by scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. The researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to spy on the brains of people working in small groups. 

They tested the volunteers' IQ to get a baseline figure, then (cruelly) shared those scores with the group. Now everyone in those little groups knew where they stood, intelligence-wise -- and knowing their rank was enough to shake the confidence of some group members, particularly among the women. The participants were again given an IQ test, and even though initially all the subjects scored above average, the second test showed a much wider range of scores.

Researchers then divided the study subjects up into two groups based on their second IQ test to perform a series of tasks: the smarties with the higher scores versus the relative dunces with the lower scores. Of the 13 women who participated in the study, just three of them ended up in the higher-scoring group -- the rest landed with the dunces. 

"The way we organize our business is completely built around small groups," Read Montague, co-author of the study and director of the Human Neuroimaging Laboratory and Computational Psychiatry Unit at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, told TODAY.

"We used to think that ranking the group and rating the group provides a measure -- how are you performing in your job -- but in fact maybe in some settings that damages the performance of the group in ways you don't want to damage it."

Remember, this divide only happened after everyone discovered how they ranked in intelligence as compared to the rest of the group. One theory: Women might be more sensitive to social cues, and more likely to worry about the perceptions of others -- which might mean, in the real world, some great ideas aren't being shared. 

But on the bright side, as one woman told TODAY producers in an earlier interview, that sensitivity could also be considered a strength. "Let's use that to our advantage," said Joanna Stone Herman. "And let's actually be stronger and communicate better, because we know that we are picking up on these cues better, and we may be able to be that much more impactful."

This morning on TODAY, Ann Curry chatted with psychologist Jennifer Hartstein and Ivanka Trump, executive vice president of development and acquisitions for the Trump organization, about the study's implications. Hartstein offered some practical advice for anyone -- man or woman -- who often feels shy or tongue-tied in meetings. 

"Maybe you need to practice what it is you want to say to someone," Hartstein suggests. "Or maybe you need to go to your manager before and say, 'Hey, I have a lot of things I want to bring to the table today. Can you make sure you put me on the agenda?' Or maybe managers even need to start to think about it differently and say, 'Everybody’s going to have a chance to say something in the meeting today, so be prepared, be ready.'"

What strategies or mantras have you turned to in order to find the courage to pipe up in an intimidating setting? Share your secrets and find tips from like-minded folks on our Facebook page.

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Hat tip to our pals at Life Inc., who initially covered this study for TODAY.com: Meetings can make you, uh, stupid

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A diet rich in citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, may reduce women's risk of stroke, a new study says.

In the study, women who ate the most citrus fruit had a 19 percent lower risk of having an ischemic stroke than women who ate the least. In an ischemic stroke, blood flow to the brain is blocked, sometimes by clogged arteries.

While other studies have looked at the benefits of eating fruit in general, in the new study, the researchers looked at different types of fruit. Prior research has shown that compounds called flavonoids found in fruit — and also in vegetables, dark chocolate and red wine — may benefit health, but not all flavonoids appear to have the same effect on stroke.

In the new study, there was no link between overall flavonoids consumption and stroke risk, the researchers said.

But citrus fruit contains a subgroup of flavaonoids, called flavanones, and it's these compounds that the new study linked with lower stroke risk.

While flavanones can be found in citrus juices, the researchers recommended eating more citrus fruit, rather than drinking more juice, because commercial fruit juices tend to contain a lot of sugar.

The study will be published in April issue of the Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The study followed 69,622 women for 14 years, with participants reporting their food intake (including details on fruit and vegetable consumption) every four years. The researchers examined analyzed the women's diets, looking for the six main subclasses of flavonoids — flavanones, anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonoid polymers, flavonols and flavones.

Flavanones may reduce risk of stroke through several mechanisms, including improving blood vessel health and countering inflammation, said study researcher Aedín Cassidy, a professor of nutrition at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom.

Previous studies on fruit consumption and stroke risk have had mixed results. For instance, one study found a link between increased consumption of white fruits like apples and pears and lower stroke risk, but found no link for yellow and orange fruits.

More studies are needed to confirm the association between flavanone consumption and stroke risk, and to gain a better understanding of the link, the researchers said.

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By Latesha Campbell and Tatiana Quiroga
Women’s Health

1. Eat more plants and fish.

Stock up on colorful foods that are rich in heart-healthy antioxidants, such as pomegranates, blueberries, tomatoes, and spinach. Antioxidants decrease your risk of heart disease because of the anti-inflammatory effect they have on the blood vessels, says Marisa Moore, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. They help get rid of the plaque buildup in the arteries, keeping vessels clear.

Many fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, bananas, and mushrooms, are also high in potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Moore recommends eating five to nine servings a day of fruits and vegetables, making sure you have three different vegetables and two kinds of fruit. "A variety gives you a healthy balance of the nutrients you need," Moore says.

Also learn to navigate your grocery's seafood section, and make it a habit to include fatty fish like salmon, sardines, or rainbow trout in your diet. Moore says adding a four-ounce serving of fish like these to your menu twice a week is a great way to get your omega-3 fatty acids. These help reduce the risk of heart disease by decreasing your blood pressure and triglycerides. 

The Best Packaged Fruits and Veggies

2. Cut the fat.

A diet that's low in fat is like a warrior's shield against heart disease. Decrease your saturated fat intake to no more than 7 percent of your daily calories. You'll find it in butter, meat, and whole-fat dairy products, says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., director of the Women's Heart Center at New York University's Langone Medical Center.

Try to eliminate trans fats from your diet too. They're the worst offenders, not only raising levels of bad cholesterol but also lowering levels of good cholesterol. Only 1 percent of your daily diet should consist of trans fats. Foods such as margarine, oils, fried foods, and pastries are prime spots for this heart foe, so beware. 

Try These Heart-Healthy Meals

3. Know your risk.

It's important to see your physician to check for high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, and signs of diabetes.

Blood pressure should be less than 120/80 for women, Goldberg says. Plus, being aware of your specific risk factors for cardiovascular disease can help guide your diet and fitness goals.

Another way to assess your risk is to know your family's history. Your risk is increased if women in your family under 65, or men under 50, have had heart disease, Goldberg says. It rises 17 percent if your father has had heart disease, and skyrockets to 43 percent if your mother was afflicted. And even if you follow a healthy diet and exercise regimen, your risk could rise to as much as 82 percent if both of your parents had heart disease.

Knowing your numbers and risks allows you to be proactive about your health, says Michelle A. Albert, M.D., associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "It also means you're going to take some action against that risk. That action may be drug therapy or changing your behavior," she says. 

What You Don’t Know About Heart Disease 

4. Move your feet.

Not up for an intense workout? Even walking for 30 minutes a day can help strengthen your heart.

Exercise can increase your high-density lipoprotein, commonly known as "good" cholesterol, and decrease your low-density lipoprotein, also known as "bad" cholesterol. These two kinds of cholesterol, combined with triglycerides, form your total cholesterol count, which should be less than 200.

LDL should be less than 100, and HDL should be above 50 for women, says American Heart Association spokesperson Anjanette Ferris, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center. The more you exercise, the better your chances of reducing your cholesterol. 

Get Moving! Easy Ways to Keep Your Heart Pumping

5. Stop smoking.

It's time to give up cigarettes. For good. Besides the fact that they cause cancer, are expensive, and just plain smell bad, they could very well kill you. Smokers are two to four times more likely to develop coronary heart disease. Since that's the leading cause of death in the United States, why keep up the bad habit? Smoking tobacco narrows arteries, raises blood pressure, and thickens blood, making it more likely to clot—the perfect recipe for a heart attack.

And if you don't care enough about your own health to stop, think of how you are affecting the health of those around you. Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause heart disease even in nonsmokers. 

Beat Stress…For Good

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