Are you taking care of your bones?

Isn’t it interesting how much we take our bodies for granted until something happens to remind us of the importance of good health?  Take bone health, for example. Hypocalcemia, or low blood calcium, can lead to a number of problems including muscle spasms and neuromuscular excitability.  Whereas hypercalcaemia, or high blood calcium, can lead to high deposits of calcium phosphate in your tissues and that can actually lead to organ failure or disfunction. Calcium plays an important role in your muscles responding properly. So, if you aren’t taking in enough calcium, after a while you begin to lose bone mineral density. And that, my friends, is not so good.  See, us ladies lose 8% of our bone mass a decade due to aging and hormones. For the guys, it’s 3%. When we lose levels of circulatory estrogen, we are at risk for developing osteoporosis.  The places that experience the biggest decline? The ends of our long bones–so that means the vertebral column, our hips and jaws. Translation: those spots are at greater risk for fracture.  The sad facts are that 1 out of 2 women and 1 out of 4 men will get a osteoporotic fracture after age 50. And worse yet, is that 1 out of 4 hip fracture patients die within a year afterwards. This is usually from pulmonary thrombosis due to lack of movement.  Did you know that a person loses about a year of bone mass in just 1 week of bed confinement? Wow…! But take heart, the good news about all of this is that bones regnerate quickly. (Our bodies truly are AMAZING.) What helps?  You guessed it: physical activity and resistance /weight bearing movements. Hit the gym or do some plyometrics at home, my friends. It will do your body good. Add a healthy diet to the mix and you have the perfect recipe for healthy and longevity.  And if you are have nutrional Qs, seek the counsel of a good nutritionist or dietician.

Be healthy,

Lisa

It’s that time of the year again…and I have to tell you, I am READY!  Ready for a more normal schedule again. Earlier to bed, earlier to rise.  I love the summers, but as a single mom, it’s a more difficult juggle to stay on top of things and keep balanced in the summer when the kids are up later and sleeping in, swimming and racing. It’s all fun, but I am READY for school to start back.

A subject that is near and dear to my heart is kids’ health. You’ve read the stories, seen the headlines.  The % of kids overweight has more than TRIPLED (yeah, you read that right) since the mid 1970’s. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Awful, huh?) It’s tough as a parent to fight the marketing and the taste of junk food.  Did you know the government began setting standards for school lunches after World War II because too many young men failed their physicals due to malnutrition?!  But, as you and I both know, our school lunches leave much to be desired. Those programs are trying to balance budgets with demand. That’s why 20% of our Jr. and Sr. High Schools have started bringing in McDonalds and Pizza Hut! It sells and the schools get money. Another loophole in the school lunch program involves the ala carte options which are not required to follow the “standards” set by the government.

As a parent what can you do? Expose your kids to as many healthy foods as possible. Involve them in the meal creation. I allow my kids to add ANY food to the grocery list as long as it is healthy. Also, at my house, if you COOK the meal, you don’t have to do the dishes. So, my kids have actually started cooking meals. That way they cook what THEY want and don’t have to do the dishes. Works for me. Long ago, I took a paper plate and drew a cross on it. I explained 1/4 of the plate should be protein, 1/4 starchy carb (rice/potato/whole grain roll) and half should be covered in colorful vegetables–the more color the better. I encourage them to enjoy a wonderful fruit for dessert and I always try to have some washed on hand so fruit is an easy option when they are hungry.  And, I holler, “Eat REAL!” when they are heading out the door with friends. They probably roll their eyes, however it’s my reminder to choose real food vs. the artifical stuff when they have the option.

I also send lunches to school and incorporate my kids into that planning process. They can select one day a week to eat at school for their “junk” day. (I know, it makes me cringe, but it helps with the balance and buy in!)  Recently I came across a wonderful, easy recipe that my kids LOVE and it gets GREEN into their lives. It is so simple, even my 10 year old makes it!  However it’s best eaten as soon as it is cooked, so it’s not really an option for school lunches.  It’s called “kale crunch” and I hope you enjoy it!

Take one bunch of kale, wash it, shake or blot the water off, and remove the center stalk. I just pull it off by hand. Then line or spray a cookie sheet with pam or olive oil. Fill it with kale, lightly mist with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt, garlic salt, parmesan cheese, or Ms. Dash Chipotle (we’ve tried all of these!).  Bake it for 10 minutes at 375 and voila! You have a light, crunchy GREEN snack for your family to enjoy.

A few weeks ago, my kids and I visited family in Florida. Since my folks live on the intercoastal, one of our favorite things to do is to read boat names as they are passing by the dock, or when we’re out boating.  We made up stories about why people chose the names they did.  Then we talk about what we would name our boats.  My dad doesn’t have a name on his boat. He claims it should be aptly named, “Never Used”. I am pretty sure he was talking about the boat…!  My son said he would name his boat, “Sea More I” because that opened the door to a larger boat to be named, “Sea More II” and then “Sea More III!  My daughter, ever the H20 enthusiast, said she would name hers, “Aqua Marine”.  We got quite a few laughs and thought we would share them with you.  Do you have a name on your boat, or have you seen some creative names that made you smile?   A few of the ones I liked were “Conscious Evolution”, “Starting Over”, “Second Wife”, “Scandalosa”, “Smile Doc”, “R&R”, plus our favorite ones below:

And of course, my personal favorite….”Serendipity”…remember my July18th post? Be sure to slow down and take those chances in life…you never know what wonders are around the corner, you just have to be open to the opportunity that is out there………who knows what might happen?!

According to the American Physical Therapy Association, there are multiple ways you can prevent back injuries–as well as many ways you can hurt your back.  Take care of your back by keeping it in good shape by:

Lifting with your legs–bend your knees and keep your back straight. Try not to twist.

Sit carefully and make sure you have good back support…it’s really not the best thing for your back at all, so be sure to get OUT of your chair and move around!

Watch your weight so you don’t put excess stress on your back.  Exercise regularly, stay active, and eat a healthy diet low in fats and processed foods and high in fruits and veggies.

Drive in comfort and ergonomically correct by selecting a position where you rknees are slightly bent and your back is arched. And, like sitting in a chair, stop frequently and get out and MOVE!

You only get one back.  Take care of it and it will thank you.

According to Sanjay Gupta, M.D. and a host of other scientists who’ve done studies on dieting success, those dieters who kept a food diary lost twice (yep, that’s “TWICE”) as much weight as those who didn’t.  According to the August 4 issue of Time magazine ( www.Time.com ), the latest study to confirm this was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (this August). It tracked close to 1700 overweight or obese adults across the country who were at least 25 years or older.  All of the participants were encouraged to eat less, have weekly group sessions and exercise moderately–as well as keep a food log.  The most effective method “hands-down” was keeping a record of what was eaten.  In 6 months, the food log dieters lost an average of 18 lbs vs. 9 lbs lost by the non-journaling dieting compadres.

Writing down what you eat helps not only track calories and keeps you honest, but it also helps identify some habits that need adjusting. 

The Times article shared a useful site:    http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ that provides a free food log and other helpful tools. Another site for calorie count information is www.nutritionaldata.com and other free sites to log your eats include www.myfooddiary.com,  www.dietagenda.com/ , or www.fitday.com/ . Many of these include calorie information as well as log and sharing/motivational communities.

The best part of all of this is that every inch lost from your waist or every pound you lose has positive impacts in so many areas: helping to control high blood pressure, reducing your risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Plus, your joints will thank you and your sleep and energy levels are likely to improve.

And if you need some additional motivation, check out Dara Torres’ pix in this Aug. 4th Times issue. She’s 41 and kickin’ tail!