Women's health priorities: sleep, relax, drink water, exercise, before sex

The magazine Cooking Light has found that when it comes to getting and staying healthy, women have the burner turned down pretty low on getting "enough sex." Finding time to exercise was hardly at the top of their list, either.

In an online survey, 1,020 randomly selected women over 25 were asked to rate their priorities in terms of health and well-being. The results: Right up there at the top was getting enough sleep--the other activity often conducted between the sheets. Keeping stress levels low, finding time to relax, eating healthfully, drinking the recommended amount of water: respondents listed these priorities, respectively, as their top five priorities for their personal health.

Where did they rank "having enough sex"? Right there, in seventh place, behind "finding time to exercise."

Perhaps the women respondents didn't value "having enough sex" because there are no guidelines issued by medical specialty groups or the federal government recommending target levels of sexual activity for Americans. After all, there are recommendations for women's top priority, sleep, as well as for nutritional intake, daily water consumption and exercise. There are, however, no specific consensus guidelines for maintaining a healthy stress level, or recommendations concerning time spent relaxing, women's priorities two and three.

Go figure!

In other findings, the Cooking Light survey found that women would rather be seen as healthy than trendy, wealthy, powerful, beautiful, sexy or successful. The only quality they esteemed higher than healthy was smart. Most women say they look younger (69%) and feel younger (58%) than they are. And majorities say their self-confidence is influenced by their appearance (74%) and their overall health and wellness (72%).

-- Melissa Healy

Comments

[Women versus men?]

Does anyone think this study is not helpful unless it's further broken down by age?

It's a shame God made it #1 for so many men and #7 for these 1000 women - it almost dooms the idea of having a sustained relationship - almost as if women are programmed to expire sexually after a window of child-bearing years...very unromantic for the sex-starved, monogamous-minded male who knew his mate to be equally randy during the courting years.

Many normal men will either cope with a sexless life or rematch, either path very unfortunate. Is there another path that keeps romance alive out there?