Reese Witherspoon is one, so is Angelina Jolie. The superwoman.
They manage to juggle making their latest big budget Hollywood movie with raising a family, their latest charity project, oh and relationships with two of the most lusted after men on the planet.
To top things off they manage to do this while looking perfectly groomed and smiling.
But are they damaging their health by taking too much on at once? And are we jeopardising our own health by trying to live up to these expectations?
The answer is, yes.
Ok, so we may not be making Hollywood movies and jet setting around the world but we have our own day-to-day challenges that could be leading us to neglect our health.
A lot is expected of the modern woman. We are constantly encouraged to pursue the perfect career, with many young women going to University in their quest for their dream job.
23,000 more girls than boys were awarded University places in 2006, while 57% of graduates with first class degrees were women, a sign that women really are working harder than ever before.
Getting through University itself is a struggle, but the real challenge comes when we take our first tentative step onto the career ladder, and end up working all hours to pay back student loans and make ends meet.
This pressure and busy schedule means that often women are eating on the go, or skipping meals completely, because they are simply too busy to eat.
Laura, 23, a PE Teacher from Birmingham, knows exactly how that feels.
“ I always have the intention of having some lunch, either taking a packed lunch or if I'm feeling brave, heading to the school canteen.
“However, I have now learned that if I am to eat at lunch times, I need to multi task and I am now master of the one handed sandwich technique whilst firing off emails and writing notes. ”
She added that it isn ' t because of pressure from her boss, nor any media figure. Instead she believes this is just typical of a young woman finding her feet in a new career.
Added pressure can come with the desire to maintain an active social life as well as working nine to five (or even longer).
While drinking may be a fun way to let our hair down and unwind after a busy week, the effect it is having on our health is shocking.
Women are now drinking more than ever before with the average 18 - 25 year old drinking 220 litres of alcohol a year. That equates to more than five bottles of wine a week! It isn't surprising then that the number of people under 45 diagnosed with Cirrhosis (permanent scarring of the liver) has increased by 900% since 1970, and is expected to continue increasing due to the amount we are drinking as a nation.
So that "quick drink" after work could be doing more harm than you thought.Fitting in an active social life with work can be difficult enough, but throw a relationship into the mix and things really can get stressful!
Tiredness and stress are the two biggest factors for low sexual desire.
This tiredness can impact our quality of life as well as our sex life.
The majority of women don't find enough time to exercise, with only 20% doing the recommended amount a week.
Hectic lifestyles can also lead to a disrupted sleep pattern and a vicious circle of not being able to sleep. When a woman begins to worry that they can't sleep, they end up losing even more valuable hours kip!
Despite all of these stress factors, the most harmful thing can be pretending everything's ok, and entering "survival mode."
This is where one is running on empty, and almost acting on autopilot, rather than living. Sound familiar?
The worst thing to do is keep maintaining a facade of coping with it all. Suffering in silence can lead to increased blood pressure, anxiety and can cause damage to your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. Not exactly what you need when you have so much to do!
If you are feeling under pressure talk to someone about it. The more you pretend everything's Ok, the more people will think you will cope with until eventually you explode.
Next time you feel like this take some "me time", go for a long walk or have a soak in the bath. Do what you enjoy. You will soon realize that the world can cope without you for an hour, and when you do get back to work you will be much more productive than you would have been when you were taking on a million things at once.
It's time to stop surviving and start living!
