Celebrating the Strength of Women for National Women’s History Month
March is National Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the women who came before us, the women we currently know and love, and the women of tomorrow. Women have been standing on the shoulders of other strong women for years. It’s simply what we do. But to continue that legacy and help future generations stand tall and proud, we must be strong. As the somewhat overutilized saying goes—”we need to put our masks on first before we can help others.” And one great way to get that mask on is through clean living.
But first, a little history …
A Brief History of National Women’s History Month
President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation in March of 1980, declaring that there would be a Women’s History Week to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8th. Less than a year later, Congress established that Women’s History Week would be federally recognized to commemorate women’s experiences, accomplishments, and the roads they helped pave for future generations. Then, in 1995, the week-long celebration was extended into the entire month of March. Today, each March proudly marks Women’s History Month.
Why is Women’s History Month So Important?
From childbearing and raising children to advance innovative solutions in the workplace and politics, women can quite literally do it all—with a uniquely different perspective than their male counterparts. Notably, they have pushed forward in all aspects of work, family, and community by bringing other women up alongside them.
Think about Anne Frank, who courageously reminded us that all people have the right to live in freedom; Maya Angelou, who gave a voice to so many who had been silenced; Rosa Parks, who was instrumental in the Civil Rights Act; or Queen Elizabeth II, who exemplified a true leader on the world stage for a remarkable seventy years. These women make up only a tiny fraction of the strong women who, while paving their way, cleared the path for countless other women. Whether women are fighting for rights, becoming doctors or astronauts, curating a list of poems, or raising a family, their commonality rests in their unwavering strength.
Strength through Clean Living
Strength is defined as “the capacity of an object to withstand great force or pressure.” For women, strength is in the sleepless nights with a newborn, it is in serving as the backbone of the family, it is in stepping up at the office and demanding to be treated (and paid) based on qualifications rather than gender, it is in the courage to lead the way in politics, business, and medicine (among countless other fields), and it is in the ability to give ourselves grace when we need to. While there are many ways to develop and maintain the strength required, a great start is through clean living.
I recently spoke with someone about what I do, and they responded that they knew all about eating organically. And while I told them that was part of it, clean living is about much more than the foods we eat. To truly get the most out of clean living, including the strength we need, we must think of it more holistically. It’s about a healthy diet but also getting the proper amount of sleep, decluttering our lives, drinking healthy water, and breathing clean air. It’s the combination of doing all those things together where we reap the real benefits and find the real strength.
A few simple ways to get stronger with clean living include:
- Eating healthier foods
- Getting enough sleep (Nikken sleep system, Norwex sheets and pillowcases are great)
- Exercising regularly
- Pampering ourselves (paint your nails, get a massage)
- Building social and professional networks
- Doing something we enjoy every day
- Finding ways to relax (meditate, yoga, breathing exercises, reading a book, journaling)
- Putting our own needs before the needs of others (this one is HUGE for women)
- Traveling
- Supporting sustainable women owned companies
- Drinking filtered, living water (PiMag Waterfall and Sports Bottle by Nikken is perfect for this)
- Reducing screentime
- Ensuring the air we breathe is clean (KenkoAir Purifier by Nikken can help)
Ultimately, it’s important to remember that to fuel the strength of those around us and the next generation of strong women, we must first fuel our own strength. As National Women’s History Month reminds us about all that women have done and continues to do, it should also remind us to take care of ourselves first and foremost. After all, carrying the next generation of women who will impact the world on our shoulders will take a lot of strength. Fortunately for us, that’s what women are all about!
