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

  In continuing my “favorite things”…this week’s sharing might come as a surprise—because it is the men’s magazine, “Men’s Health”! I actually subscribe to both Women’s Health and Men’s Health. Seriously- I do.  You’d think there would be a lot of overlap in content, but there isn’t.  I find Men’s Health informative, entertaining (the sex and gadget articles—you gotta love how men think!), and yes, then there are the pictures…But, seriously, I read it for the ARTICLES. (How funny does that sound?!) And what I really dig about the magazine (and website) are the workouts.  While I go to a gym (Lifetime Fitness) and have a mini gym at my house, I really like boot camp type of training—using your body as resistance– AND at-home workouts. I do them myself and like to include my kids when I train. Plus, many friends I work with don’t want to join a gym and I like being able to show them exercises they can easily do with their whole family, at home, with little or no equipment. Let me share a fun one I stumbled upon. I read about it on Men’s Fitness and then looked it up on YouTube. I recommend watching the video from the creators for form and instruction. You can modify it a lot of ways. Then, if you want to be entertained, you can watch a bunch of guys who filmed themselves attempting to do this workout in its entirety! Now, if you don’t have a chin up bar in a doorway or in the garage, just be creative in your modifications. You can use a resistance band wrapped around a pole to get your back.  And, if you want to start with a simpler workout until you get stronger, try this:20 Prisoner Squats, 20 Pushups, 10 Jumps, 10 Inverted Rows (alternate using a band or a towel and a partner!)20 Forward Lunges (10 reps per side)15 Close-grip Pushups, 5 Chin-ups or Inverted Rows (underhanded grip with band/partner or find a solid bar/bench you can use to pull yourself up)  

Are you ready for summer… and SWIM season?!! It’s just about here….with Memorial Day typically being the “official” kick-off for the summer season. The topic du jour at the gym and around the office is getting swimsuit ready! Losing weight is simple math, really. You’ve got to burn/take in 500 calories less a day in order to lose one pound a week. I think it’s easiest to do it by adding an extra 100-200 calories of activity coupled with a reduction of 250-300 calories a day. You can get there with a focus on food and fitness–two of my favorite things! (This btw, reminds me that in future blogs I am going to share a few of my favorite things! I hope you do, too.)

If the 500 calorie a day deficit seems too aggressive, losing half a pound a week is much easier–and definitely doable–especially for the ladies since our daily calorie needs are less than the guys. A 250 calorie a day decrease and/or exercise burn is easier to reach consistently.

For the fitness angle, get moving! No way around that one. For at least three workouts that include 20 minutes of resistance (minimum), 20 minutes of cardio and 5-10 minutes of stretching. (For why, look at past blogs on the importance of muscle and its calorie burning effect.) If you need some ideas for exercises, two sites I really like are Fitness Magazine where you can tailor your workout to your time, location, and equipment (if any). You do need to join the site, but it’s free and from there you can design a workout just for you, change it as often as you like, and see how to do the exercises. Another good site with exercise ideas is Runner’s World which also contains videos of the movement execution with verbal descriptions. Gotta love technology! On the food front, keep your focus on UNprocessed foods (oatmeal, eggs, lean meats, veggies and fruits and nuts—oh my!). When dieting, fiber and protein and good fats keep you feeling full longer. (DO watch your fat intake when trying to lose weight, however, since fat is calorie dense!) A great way to ensure your calories are not out of line is to keep a log. (And trust me, it keeps you honest!) If you are unsure about calorie counts, go to www.nutritiondata.com . Also, you can log your fitness and workouts on multiple free sites. My faves are www.runnersworld.com and www.fitday.com . To see ideas on the right foods for flat abs, check out Fitness Magazine Food For Flat Abs. Good luck on that bikini bod—I know you can do it!