And here come the Do's
regarding osteoporosis. Try not to get it in the first place! We rarely think about the
future when we're young too busy living. But, like our pension,
our bones are something we should invest in before we start having
problems with them. When you are eighteen, you can't be bothered
thinking about your pension. When you are fifty-eight you wish
you had! With osteoporosis, sometimes the scales are balanced against you,
unfortunately. Being female, having a family history of osteoporosis,
having a sedentary lifestyle and conversely, overtraining physically
or being underweight, excessive smoking and drinking and poor diet
(as in lack of calcium) all contribute. Well there's not a lot
you can do about the genetic side of it. I blame the parents! The
other unchangeable factor is advancing age and going through the
menopause, and I sure as hell wish I could find someone to blame
for those. So what can you do to guard against osteoporosis? Here are my
10 Commandments:
- Thou Shalt Walk. Every day. Weight bearing exercise is ESSENTIAL.
- Thou Shalt Strength Train. No, Ladies. You won't develop muscles
like Popeye!
- Thou Shalt Get Thyself outside into the Fresh Air. Sunlight
is essential for producing Vitamin D, which helps calcium
absorption. Even on a grey, lousy,
rainy day Mr Sunshine gets a ray or two through.
- Thou Shalt Walk Some More!
- Thou Shalt Do Exercises for Thy Balance and Coordination. Stand
on 1 leg. Perfect.
- Thou Shalt Come to Thy Pilates Class. Well I had to get that
one in somewhere. Bob and I have to eat.
- Thou Shalt Eat Dairy Products. Unless you have been diagnosed
by a qualified dietician as being allergic to them. Far
too many companies
out there
with far too few relevant qualifications will analyse your
diet and recommend cutting
out complete food groups DON'T DO IT!
- Thou Shalt Eat Thy Spinach. And watercress, and every other
dark coloured vegetable you come across. No, don't say Bleah!.
Bung
watercress in
your sarnies, spinach in your vindaloos and you'll never
know. Until your
bowel gets out
and goes home!
- Thou Shalt Exercise on All Fours. Only way to build bone
in wrists and arms.
- Did I mention the walking??
Don't tell yourself that getting osteoporosis is inevitable because
it's in your family, though. That's an excuse to do nowt! There's
no direct genetic link, just a tendency. So do something. Join
an exercise class or two, preferably one that uses little weights. In part three we'll cover the don'ts regarding osteoporosis.
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