Real Girls Don’t Just Wear Pink

I love the fact that we bring awareness to Breast Cancer during the month of October by wearing pink and participating in different fund raisers and various events throughout the month.  However, what saddens me, to be honest, is many women participate in these activities, yet neglect their own health during the other 11 months.  Pink is pretty, but it takes a lot more than putting on a pink blouse, shirt or dress to take a stand to fight against cancer.  WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

It takes courage to do the “hard stuff”.  Those things that are not only hard, but often get neglected when a busy life gets in the way.

• Exercise. Yes, it takes courage to exercise when there is the fear of failing or someone seeing you not looking your best. It takes courage to try something new by getting up a few minutes early for a work out before your day gets started.

• Eating Healthy. Making the decision to overcome the temptation to grab the quickest thing to eat when not the healthiest, takes courage.  Yes, it takes some effort and hard work, sometimes to make the right decision for your body.

• Regular Check Ups. Sometimes cancer still strikes when doing all of the right things.  That is why regular check ups and mammograms are the key to early detection and may be the thing that saves your life.  It can be scary, to make that appointment, but real girls become courageous when they conquer their fears.

When I think about making my 8 year old daughter aware about breast cancer, I have to laugh at the idea of getting her in anything pink. She is not a girly girl and I don’t think she owns anything pink.  

SO WHAT CAN I DO?

I can lead by example with exercise, eating healthy and getting regular check ups.  I want her to be a real girl of courage and do the right things that take care of her body, even though it may be hard at times. We may not be wearing that much pink at our house, but we are making a commitment to exercise together and eat healthy.

So I encourage you this year to stay aware and take action to fight breast cancer past the month of October.