Women & Their Bones-Use It or Lose It
October 2, 2009
Make no bones about it, as we approach middle age(and yes, it has to be called “middle” age.Take the age you expect to live to, then cut it in half-see?)the bare-bone truth about your skeleton is that , especially in pre and post menopausal women, you can ONLY maintain or LOSE bone density. You cannot naturally regain it. Yes, I know there are some strong prescription medicines out there that reverse bone density but you’ve only got to look at the precaution/side effects label on those drugs to try a more wholisitic route if at all possible.
Do you even know if you get 1000 milligrams of calcium everyday? Most multi-vitamins do not add much calcium because it interferes with the absorption of other vitamins. That’s about 3 cups of milk or 12 cups of ice cream:)
I’ve come across way too many ladies going through reverse puberty, as I like to think of it, who take no calcium supplement and the only dairy they consume is milk in their Venti Latte (P.S. Skim milk has the same amount of calcium as whole).
The changing face of fitness is about keeping what you got! It has to be your daily priority! So before we move on to exercises that you can do at home to strengthen your bones through weight-bearing movement(Get those Nikes on), here is what you need to do.Here’s your prescription-1200 mg of calcium along with 1000 mg of D. Taking a calcium supplement with added vitamin D boosts calcium absorption and if your eyes aren’t crossing yet, look for one with Vitamin K(helps form bone protein).
Some purists may not agree but I like the Viactiv calcium chews. They are chocolate chewies that taste okay . Think mini tootsie roll for baby zoomers .20 calories each. You take 2 per day. It’s a nice little treat mid-morning and mid-afternoon. And oh, yeah, you must take them seperately since your body can ONLY ABSORB 500 mgs at a time(who knew).
Calcium fortified Orange Juice has the same amount of calcium as an equal amount of milk.It is worth the extra pennies if you are not a milk drinker because the Vitamin C in the OJ also aids absorption.
Why is this so monotonously important, you wonder?
Decreased bone density is a major cause of fractures in postmenopausal women, mostly wrist, long bones of the foot, spine and hip, with hip fractures increasing significantly later in life(this has to do with the loss of BALANCE, which is another issue. How many of you have a grandparent break something when they lose their balance and topple over,hmm?)
Resistance (or strength training) exercise can make bones stronger so that if you do fall over (hopefully my drinkers are listening)nothing will break!
Try to switch to an aerial view of your lifestyle. Are you more able to see your fitness future?If you don’t like what you see, it’s not to late! Little changes make a difference.Like my teacher, Judith Lasater says,”If you think details don’t matter, remember that one chromosome different on the end of the DNA strand and you’re a monkey.”
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