Feel Your Boobies Campaign

Ladies, are you feeling your boobies?

We all the know the importance of having an annual breast exam from our doctor, but research shows that it is also important to be examining ourselves on a regular basis for the prevention and early detection of breast cancer.

We recently discovered the campaign, Feel Your Boobies®, founded by breast cancer survivor Leigh Hurst. Her story is an example of a young woman who was feeling her boobies on a regular basis, and because of that found a lump long before her doctors. What started out as a fun and creative way to remind her friends about something that had saved her life, evolved into a non-profit Foundation to spread this important message. Read more about Leigh’s story and the history behind the campaign.


Leigh's Story

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on April 7, 2004. I was 33, I ran marathons, ate well, and thankfully I felt my boobies! I wouldn’t necessarily say I did “self-breast exams” as they are traditionally defined, but I did feel my boobies during the course of my daily routine and because I did, I knew when something was different.

For the two years leading up to this diagnosis, I had noticed the small lump in my left breast. It didn’t hurt or change very much, but I noticed it. I was living in New York City at the time and when I would go to the doctors for normal checkups, I would wait for them to do their clinical exam of my breast to see if they would notice the lump on their own. They didn’t. It wasn’t until I held their hand and placed it on the lump that they noticed what I had felt on my own for some time. For whatever reason, none of them felt it was something to be concerned with so I trusted their judgment and figured it was fine.

At some point during this two year period of time, I tired of the city lifestyle I had led for the previous 10 years and made a major decision to move back to Middletown, PA -- the small town where I grew up just outside of Harrisburg, PA. I moved home a successful professional woman, but was single and 33, and with my childhood friends mostly being married I feared I had embarked on life as a spinster. Just six months after buying a home and moving to PA, it was time for my annual exam. It was at this exam where the nurse practitioner (forever my angel) suggested I go get a mammogram.

Read more…


Find out more about the Feel Your Boobies Campaign® at feelyourboobies.com

posted by getupgirl.org |

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A Truly Green (and Frugal) Fashion Choice: Thrift Stores

We bring our reusable bags to the grocery store, changed our lighting to energy saving bulbs but how often to we stop to think about how our clothing choices effect the environment? Even new "eco" fashion lines leave a carbon footprint. Karla Zens writes about choosing truly environmentally friendly clothing: Vintage

It feels like a new socially responsible fashion line emerges every week: handbags made from organic hemp, sunglasses fabricated from 100% renewable materials, jewelry crafted from recycled gold and responsibly mined gems. Green fashion is almost mainstream: you can purchase your organic cotton t-shirt from Barney's...or from Old Navy. Don't get me wrong, these are all wonderful developments, but they continue to feed our insatiable appetite for consuming "new stuff."

It's time to start thinking about a fashion choice that doesn't come with a "feel good" eco sound bite: your local thrift store, vintage shop, or a clothing swap between friends. With the economic downturn, shoppers have started to wean themselves off Macy's and learned to love pre-owned designer merchandise. (Oh, and if you're turned off by thrift store cooties, I'll help you get past that a bit later.)

For the eco-minded out there (those of you who shop locally, bring your own bags to the grocery store, monitor the parabens and bisphenal A in your life), it's time to take note: besides being a way to snag high-quality, fashionable threads for a bargain, second hand shopping is one of the most socially responsible shopping choices you can make.

Just consider today's most rampant "disposable fashion" item: a cotton shirt, available for less than $20. This fictional shirt started out as cotton in a pesticide-laden field in the US. It was shipped to China, where it was milled, woven, and then dyed using harsh chemicals that leaked into the local water system. It was cut and sewn by children working in appalling conditions, before being shipped back to the US and sold. It's a process that keeps the price low at the expense of quality, the environment, energy resources and labor practices.

And even your sweat shop-free, organic, vegetable dyed, carbon offset garment has consumed energy. Some virgin materials were likely used. The item was produced, packaged, and shipped, perhaps several thousand miles. It was likely marketed in some way, maybe on the pages of a magazine that was printed on virgin paper.

Click to read entire article

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Learn, Forgive & Celebrate

A friend recently shared the story of how the Babemba Tribe in South Africa responds when members demonstrate what could be called ‘bad behavior’. It caused me to think of how I perceive and react to people when I think they have done something ‘wrong’, and even more importantly, how I act towards myself when I am not happy with something I have done, thought or said.

In the Babemba tribe of South Africa, when a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he is placed in the center of the village, alone and unfettered. All work ceases, and every man, woman and child in the village gathers in a large circle around the accused individual. Then each person in the tribe speaks to the accused, one at a time, about all the good things the person in the center of the circle has done in his lifetime. Every incident, every experience that can be recalled with any detail and accuracy is recounted. All his positive attributes, good deeds, strengths and kindnesses are recited carefully and at length.

The tribal ceremony often lasts several days. At the end, the tribal circle is broken, a joyous celebration takes place, and the person is symbolically and literally welcomed back into the tribe.

I imagine the love of the tribe so generously given to the ‘fallen’ tribe member is a powerful reflection of his/her goodness, value and worth to the community. This ritual must also contribute to what is said to be a rare occurrence of antisocial or criminal behavior in the Babemba tribe. It demonstrates that by valuing each individual with compassion and forgiveness, the community as a whole is uplifted and strengthened.

This example of love and forgiveness is a beautiful reminder of how we can be with ourselves (and others) when we judge or don’t like something. Instead of belittling or getting angry at ourselves for something we did, we can learn from the experience, and then forgive ourselves and celebrate what is good about who we are and the positive things we do. The same is true with others in our life. Most of us are doing the best we can, and sometimes we just forget.

So the next time you make a mistake, say the wrong thing, or forget your friend’s birthday, remember the Babemba tribe story. Surround yourself with positive words, be compassionate with yourself, forgive and let it go. This is a gift we all deserve, as a way to take care of ourselves, celebrate who we are, and to help us grow in our capacity to be more compassionate human beings. Learn, forgive and celebrate!

photo by: Margalit Ward
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The Care and Feeding of You

Many of us have some type of healthy routine that we do each day. We wash our face, brush our teeth, take our multivitamins and hopefully get to the gym a few times a week. But what we realized years ago is that those things only take care of one aspect of ourselves, and to truly live a happy and fulfilling life, we must go to a much deeper level of self-care. We call this, Extreme Self-Care. And girrl, we need it now, more than ever!

In our Get Up Girl…Your Time is Now –Coaching Group, we encourage women to begin exploring what Extreme Self-Care means for each of them. Because we are all different, have different lives, how we take care of ourselves can look a variety of ways. It can also vary from day to day and week to week, especially if our jobs and families play a role in how we spend our time. What’s important is that we incorporate all the levels that define who we are and what it is to be human, i.e. our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual selves. By taking care of our selves this way, we nurture our ‘whole’ being and support a greater sense of balance and peace.

Considering that many of us are dealing with more stress due to the current economy, or changes in our jobs and careers, taking good care of ourselves is more important than ever. It is our foundation, giving us the energy and strength we need to overcome challenges and flourish in our daily lives.

How to create your own Extreme Self-Care Routine:

Ask yourself these two questions for each of the 4 levels: Physically, Emotionally, Mentally, and Spiritually, and write down your answers.

1. How can I best take care of myself (physically, …etc.) in my life right now?

2. What can I realistically incorporate into my life this week?
Remember to get specific: What & When?

We strongly recommend that you keep your routine very easy and do-able. Start by picking only one new activity for each level. It’s better to keep your routine simple and consistent, rather than trying to do many things only once.

Examples:

Physical: I take a walk between 7 – 7:30am, at least 3 x this week.

Emotional: At the end of the day, I acknowledge myself for what I accomplished.
At least one thing, for 4 or more days this week.

Mental: I read my affirmations in the mirror, at least 5 x this week.

Spiritual: I meditate after lunch for 5 to 20 minutes, at least 5 x this week.

Below are some suggestions for each level, to help inspire ideas for your own personal Extreme Self-care routine.

Physical:
Exercise
Improve your nutrition
Drink more water
Sleep & rest
Massage or body work, etc.

Emotional:
Speak kindly to yourself.
Forgive yourself for any judgments or upsets.
Acknowledge and appreciate yourself and the things you do.
Do things you enjoy and make you happy.
Focus on being grateful.

Mental:
Becoming more aware of your thoughts, – negative and positive.
Use positive affirmations that support what you want for yourself and your life.
Read uplifting and inspiring books and material.
Learn something new or interesting.

Spiritual:
Create space for quiet time, meditation and reflection.
Walk or be in nature.
Attend a church, synagogue, or other religious service.
Write in a journal
Creative expression

We always enjoy learning from our readers new ways to take care of ourselves. We would love to hear about your Self-Care routine, how it’s going for you and what you have observed and learned. Email us at info@getupgirl.org.

Our next Get Up Girl, 9 Week Women’s Coaching Group starts May 6, 2009. For more information about Get Up Girl, and our unique women's coaching programs and workbook, go to getupgirl.org, or email us at info@getupgirl.org.

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