Holiday Fitness Challenge
by Don Foxe, M.Ed.
he annual Holiday Fitness Challenge is upon us. ‘Tis the season when temptation outweighs common sense, and stress is the by-product of happiness and good cheer.
Now, put those last two bags of leftover Halloween candy in a trash bag, double tie it so you do not try and re-open it before it gets taken to the dump, and let’s make a quick holiday plan that does not include recipes for pies and what wine goes best with tree decorations.
Between now and the traditional New Year’s Resolution, Americans gain about three to five pounds. This is due to the additional calories from fat brought on by dinners, parties, stress-eating, football (watched – not played), six extra trips to the grocery store, presents you eat, and eating on the run . . . which is really eating in the car. The car, now that construction is occurring on Highway 278, is actually idling more than it is running. The only thing actually running during the holidays is your patience, which is running out.
You need to have a plan that helps get you through until January 1st, and makes the holidays a little easier, and the weight gain less. It’s the little things in life that count.
Daily walks can now be broken down into ten to fifteen minute sessions. Keep your walking shoes on while working in the kitchen. While the hen is baking and before the veggies need to be turned on, take a quick spin around the neighborhood. The weather is great this time of year, and you can see how the decorations are coming.
Have your shopping list done and in front of you at the grocery store – now is not the time for buying excess items.
Keep some gum or a healthy snack in the glovebox of the car. You are going to get stuck in traffic, and chewing on something is better for your blood pressure than chewing out someone. Just make sure it is something low in calories and sugar.
If you have a gym membership, don’t stop going! You can cut down your minutes, but do not sacrifice your health for two months of craziness.
Try doing more of your holiday shopping in old town Bluffton, or at places where you need to walk from store to store outside. If you go to malls, park further away and make trips back and forth with your packages, instead of trying to lug everything around and stressing your back. Just park smart, and be careful.
Finally, this year ask for that health club membership, day spa package, or home fitness equipment and make the goal for next year to earn jewelry, new clothes, and a vacation someplace fun.
Enjoy the holidays, and make a pre-resolution resolution to not gain any weight between now and January 1st, when your real resolution kicks in.
Osteoporosis: Did You Know…
oo Much Salt is Bad for Girls?
Too much salt can have a negative impact on bone development in girls as young as their early teens. This early damage can increase their risk of developing osteoporosis in later life. A dietary study of girls attending a summer camp funded by the National Institutes of Health found that girls who ate diets high in salt (3,680 milligrams of sodium per day) lost more calcium in their urine than those who ate a low sodium diet (1300 milligrams per day). Maximum sodium intake should be about 2,300 milligrams per day, the equivalent of about one teaspoon of salt. Most Americans consume several times that amount.
Most Americans Fall Short on Calcium?
A study of the eating habits of Americans found low calcium intakes among the majority of those surveyed. According to the survey, 48 percent of adults consumed one serving or less of dairy products daily, 32 percent said they had two servings, 12 percent three servings and only 8 percent said they consumed four or more servings.
As well as milk, cheese and yogurt, good sources of calcium include calcium fortified orange juice, green leafy vegetables and dried beans.
Many Women Quit Taking Bone Drugs Too Soon
Medications to treat osteoporosis should be taken for at least a year to be effective. Yet, according to studies, almost half of patients prescribed the bone-building biphosphonates stop taking them before the year is up. Researchers aren’t sure why women quit taking the drugs. They’re expensive, so cost may be a factor. Plus, because there’s no visible effect, women may fail to realize how important they are to their health.
Strategies for Building Strong Bones
s a woman ages, she faces a far higher risk than her male counterparts of osteoporosis–a disease characterized by thinning bones and a high risk of fractures in the wrist, hip and spine. Bones form the scaffolding for the human body. But unlike scaffolding, which is static and over time will rust and decay, our bones are in a constant state of turnover and repair, a process called remodeling. The remodeling process requires raw materials–Calcium, vitamin D and exercise–to keep bones in good repair.
Adults reach peak bone mass in their 30s, followed by a slow decline. Women fare worse than men because they have smaller frames on average than men–with less bone to start with. When they hit menopause in their late 40s or early 50s the rate of bone loss accelerates for a few years, leaving many women vulnerable to fractures. To some degree women are helped by having higher estrogen levels prior to menopause. And until recently many women have taken hormone replacement therapy to maintain bone density. Following negative findings about the increased risks of heart attack and stroke associated with HRT, most physicians are presently reluctant to prescribe it for most patients. Other prescription drugs are available, however, that can help prevent bone loss and actually increase bone density. Biphosphanates, a class that includes Fosamax (alendronate) and Actonel (risedronate) have been shown to prevent bone loss and promote the building of new bone.
Just about every woman can presume that she needs to follow the basic guidelines of getting recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D for her age plus plenty of weight bearing exercise to ensure adequate bone density. But how does she know if she needs a bone-building drug as well? A non-invasive test known as dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) is considered the gold standard for measuring bone density and the future risk of fractures. DEXA can be used to measure bone density at the wrist, hip and spine, all high risk areas for fractures.
The definition of osteoporosis is based on how much bone mineral density varies from the average bone mineral density of a young adult. Expressed in T-scores, osteoporosis is diagnosed when the T-score is below -2.5. Scores of -1 to -2.5, indicate osteopenia, a less serious condition but an early warning that either lifestyle changes or medical interventions are necessary.
The advantage of DEXA is that it can provide an early warning of what is all too frequently a silent disease. For many women the first sign of osteoporosis is the broken wrist, hip or spine that comes with a fall.
Fosamax or Actonel are frequently prescribed for women who have suffered broken bones because of osteoporosis or who have low DEXA scores. A recent study found that too often patients quit worrying about getting adequate calcium and vitamin D when they start taking medication, assuming that the drug is taking care of the problem. Researchers found that bone building drugs were far more effective when women also consumed recommended levels of calcium and vitamin D.
Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), has some of the benefits of estrogen but without the risk of breast cancer associated with estrogen replacement. It also increases bone mineral density and is prescribed for some women with osteoporosis. One negative side effect is that it can intensify hot flashes.
Calcitriol, sometimes prescribed for women who can’t tolerate biphosphonates, has to be taken twice a day and requires monitoring of calcium levels.
“While medications are effective, women can do much to help themselves,” notes Dr. Heather Hutchings of Coastal Carolina Family Medicine. “Women can lower their risk by getting regular weight-bearing exercise and avoiding smoking and excess alcohol consumption. You should also consume the equivalent of one and one-half pints of reduced fat or fat-free milk or milk products per day as well as calcium-rich foods such as dried beans, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit and calcium-fortified orange juice. In order to use calcium effectively, the body needs vitamin D, which is most readily available through sunlight.”
If you’re planning for good health in the second half of life, make sure you include your bones in the blueprint. They’re the frame that keeps your body strong and mobile. So be as attentive to your bones as you are to your skin. Keep feeding them the raw materials they need to renew and rebuild for a strong and active future.
