Survey challenges theory that women strive to take care of everyone except themselves Arecent survey uncovered a newfound sense of self-empowerment in regard to women's health and their priorities.The third annualWoman Talk survey, conducted by the not-forprofit NationalWomen's Health Resource Center (NWHRC), found that an overwhelming 94 percent of respondents said that "Making time for myself is one of the best ways I can help to take care of me and my family" and 75 percent of women went a step further to say that "Taking care of myself is my top priority." "So often women are focused on taking care of others, so we found it surprising that three out of four women state that taking care of themselves is their No. 1 priority," says Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill,R.N., executive vice president of NWHRC."We're pleased to see that women are finally granting themselves permission to take care of their health first, so that they can better take care of their loved ones." When asked what being healthy means to them,women most often state "not having any chronic diseases" (47 percent) and"being physically active" (43 percent).However,African-American and Hispanic women cite "being happy" as a key indicator of good health (43 percent each). According to the survey,women are motivated to lead a healthy lifestyle to feel good, be independent and look good.This is in stark contrast to the nurturing role women are believed to play, putting others' needs above their own. Older women are more motivated to maintain their lifestyle and independence, while younger women are motivated to be fit and look good. Regardless of motivations, the survey also uncovers major barriers that exist for women to maintain a healthy lifestyle.The majority of women in the survey had set goals for themselves, yet many aren't achieving them. For instance, 76 percent of women have set a goal to exercise more, yet only 42 percent have done so. Six in 10 women have set a goal to lose weight, yet only 24 percent have made such progress. To help women better understand how they can incorporate daily changes into their busy lives,NWHRC has developed the One Small Step to a Healthier You campaign.One part of this program is a comprehensive online wellness center that seeks to provide women with quick and simple ways they can take control of their health in order to see big results and feel better from a mind, body and spirit approach. For additional information, or to access the online wellness center, visit www.healthywomen.org/wellness or call (877) 986-9472.