October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. I’m sure either you or someone that you know has been impacted by breast cancer. In fact, approximately 1 in 8 U.S. women (13%) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. That number is staggering. Although aging women have the highest risk of development, the American Cancer Society recommends the following proactive measures to reduce the risk of developing the disease:

Get to and stay at a healthy weight: Both increased body weight and weight gain as an adult are linked with a higher risk of breast cancer after menopause. The American Cancer Society recommends you stay at a healthy weight throughout your life and avoid excess weight gain by balancing your food intake with physical activity.

Be physically active: Many studies have shown that moderate to vigorous physical activity is linked with lower breast cancer risk, so it’s important to get regular physical activity. The American Cancer Society recommends that adults get at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week (or a combination of these), preferably spread throughout the week. Getting to or exceeding the upper limit of 300 minutes is ideal.

Avoid or limit alcohol: Alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. Even low levels of alcohol intake have been linked with an increase in risk. For women who do drink, they should have no more than 1 alcoholic drink a day. A drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits (hard liquor).

In addition to maintaining a healthy diet, exercising and limiting alcohol consumption, women are recommended to have a mammogram screening conducted annually. The early detection and treatment of breast cancer may reduce the risk of dying from the disease by 25-30%. In fact, women ages 40 to 44 should have the choice to start annual breast cancer screenings, women ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year and women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or can continue yearly screenings. It’s also important to know your body and conduct self-exams regularly so that you can notify your Dr. of any irregularities.

Knowledge is power and in this case, being aware and taking proactive measures may save your life. Each day is a gift and we wake up and hit the ground running ready to conquer the day. Women of today are warriors balancing full time careers, their families and their social calendar. Therefore, it’s easy to get lost in the hustle and forget to make those regular health check-up appointments. If you’re due for a check-up, stop and make the call today!

During the month of October, Planet Beach will rally to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer. Guests are welcome to visit participating Planet Beach locations to purchase a breast cancer awareness t-shirt & rally towel. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to support breast cancer awareness and research.

Let’s rise together, raise awareness & support our warriors!

Sources:
(1) https://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics
(2) https://www.cancer.org/healthy/find-cancer-early/american-cancer-society-guidelines-for-the-early-detection-of-cancer.html#:~:text=Women%20ages%2040%20to%2044,or%20can%20continue%20yearly%20screening
(3) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/risk-and-prevention/can-i-lower-my-risk.html

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Written By: Jodie Mateu, VP of Special Events & Productivity