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Did you make a New Year’s resolution in 2018? If so, how’d it go? Did you meet your goal, or do you have more work to do? Reflecting on your progress may bring on a range of emotions. Whether you’re feeling proud or discouraged, that’s OK. Sometimes we accomplish our goals the first time, and sometimes it takes longer than we expect. The key is to stick with it! Just ask my colleagues. Last year around this time, I asked some of them to share their plans for improving their health and well-being in 2018. As the year is coming to a close, I asked them to give us an update. Here’s what they had to say:

The holidays often bring delicious meals and treats, and it can be tough to eat healthy with so much good food around. Rather than skipping or cutting out your favorite dishes, why not try making a few small changes to your recipes to cook up healthier versions? We talked to Anjali Shah, a food blogger who runs The Picky Eater. She wants to make healthy eating easy and fun. See her ideas and simple tricks for healthier cooking this holiday season.

“How could this happen to me?”

I was sitting next to her as she told her story of being diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer at the age of 27. It wasn't the first time that I had heard a young woman talk through diagnosis and treatment of aggressive breast cancer, but I had to fight back tears while listening to Charity speak. Our entire video production team was struggling not to cry. What was it about her situation that captured all of us? Was it hearing Charity talk about her initial doctor’s visit and being told that the lump in her breast was probably nothing? Or maybe it was hearing her say that the next time she saw a doctor about it was in the emergency room, when the cancer had eaten through her breast and she had to be hospitalized, receive several rounds of chemotherapy, and later have a non-skin sparing double mastectomy. It could have been the moments when she talked about coming to terms with infertility at such a young age. I’m not sure which part of Charity’s story drew us in, but I do know that the experience of hearing and capturing stories like hers was a powerful experience for me and the production team of the Bring Your Brave educational campaign.

The Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF) recently released a recommendation for interventions that aim to prevent or reduce intimate partner violence (dating violence) and sexual violence among youth. This recommendation is based on a systematic review of 28 studies. The findings showed interventions reduced intimate partner and sexual violence among youth. Results also showed an increase in bystander action within the first six months of completing the intervention, meaning bystanders intervened when they noticed a risky situation or challenged aggressive attitudes toward women, such as offensive jokes or objectifying language.

Ed. note: For International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, 2018, OWH is cross-posting this piece from the Girls on the Run Blog. The original post date was November 7, 2016. Read the original post.

Content warning: Suicide

This National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, we spoke with Dr. Nirmish Shah, the Director of the Sickle Cell Transition Program at Duke University. He shares some sickle cell disease basics and talks about his research aimed at helping patients manage sickle cell disease. See how he’s using technology to improve care for patients.

We all have that person at work who makes the day more enjoyable. At my old office, that person was Iwona. She was more like a sister to me than a coworker, so when she texted me during a meeting to say, “It’s cancer,” I lost my breath and left the room to call her.

I Can Do It! (ICDI) is a customizable and inclusive health promotion model aimed at transforming the lives of individuals with a disability. The Office on Women’s Health and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition have partnered to ensure that women and girls with a disability have opportunities to be physically active and practice healthy eating behaviors through ICDI.