Bone Healthy Diet

Posted on April 21, 2023 by Mirabai

Bone healthy Diet? EEK! One more thing to worry about? What ever happened to “these are our golden years”?. Sounds like more bad news but it’s not. True, our bodies can lose up to 40% of their bone mass in the 10 years following menopause. And true, if we don’t do something we could easily end up with osteoporosis. But also true, the fix for this is both easy and delicious.

It’s important to get enough calcium, Vitamin D in your bone healthy diet. As we age bodies become less efficient at absorbing these nutrients.

Here are some recommendations.

If you’re 50 or over you should make sure you’re getting a total calcium intake of at least

1200 milligrams daily and a Vitamin D intake of at least 800 to 1000 units daily.

Here are some sources of dietary calcium:

Dairy Products including milk, yogurt and cheese
Nuts such as almonds and various green vegetables such as broccoli
Fish with bones such as sardines, and mackerel and calcium fortified juices and cereals.

So, yogurt with fruit, almonds and maybe even a little cereal sounds like lunch. So does a salad with sardines, and a little raw broccoli. How about a nice piece of fish with a smaller salad. You might try some cheese and fruit with a glass of fruit juice. OK, wine. You get the idea. Get your calcium from food and you don’t have to take supplements. But if you do, most people have a better time digesting calcium citrate than calcium carbonate, but they both work fine.

Sources of Vitamin D include:

Fatty fishes such as salmon and mackerel and Vitamin D enriched milk, juices and cereals.
Although your skin can make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, sun block prevents vitamin D production.

By now you’re making up your own healthy bones recipes so I don’t have to suggest a Salmon, mackerel, milk, fruit juice and cereal smoothie do I?

But if you’re like most people and wear sun block and don’t get enough D in your diet you’ll need to take a supplement to get your 800-1000 units of Vitamin D.

MORE BONE HEALTH DIET DO’s

Research suggests nutrients such as magesium, potassium, Vitamins A, K & C found in certain vegies and fruits may help foster better bones. It is recommended to eat about 12 ounces of fruit and 16 ounces of vegies daily.

Here is a list for your concoctions:

Magesium include: Raisins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, plaintains, squash, artichokes, beet and collard greens.
Potassium include: Oranges, orange juice, bananas, prunes, papaya, avocados and tomatoes.
Vitamin A: Mangoes, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach
Vitamin K: Spinach, brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, collard, turnip and mustard greens.
Vitamin C: Oranges, pineapples, payayas, grapefruits, lemons, strawberries, red and green peppers, broccoli and brussel sprouts and cauliflower.

BONE HEALTHY DIET NO’s

One bit of bad news is too much alcohol or caffeine can add to bone loss; and soft drinks particularly colas that have both caffeine and phosphorous (bad for your bones) may be a double whammy.

So that’s my quickie eating for your bones report. Don’t try that smoothie; it’s nasty.

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Skeletal Fitness: 3 Important Exercises

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Mirabai

Skeletal Fitness is important throughout our lives.

With 12,000 boomers a day turning 65, that’s one every 8 seconds for the next 18 years; and with 50% of women over the age of 50 projected to have an osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime, I thought I’d be a little practical this year and give you a mini workout to help you protect your bones.

Skeletal Fitness

Our bones are living tissue and grow stronger with weight bearing and resistance exercise. This is called Bone Loading and can help us maintain our skeletal fitness.

And since the three areas most at risk for Osteoporotic fracture are the Spine, the Hip and the Wrist, here are 3 easy Bone Loading exercises, one for each of those areas, you can do using a pair of hand weights or a couple of soup cans. Use a weight that makes the exercise feel somewhat hard after 8 reps. Remember to always exhale on the exertion. Do 8-15 reps of each of these exercises. Start where you’re comfortable and build up.

And of course always consult your doctor before beginning this Skeletal Fitness exerciseprogram.

Double arm row: Loads Spine

Start with arms in front of you, weights together.

Slowly row arms back, bending elbows bringing weights to chest height.

Squeeze shoulder blades together, without shrugging your shoulders.

Lunge – Loads Hip and Femur (thigh bone)

Stand tall, feet about shoulder width apart, hands and weights at your sides.

Keep body erect and lunge forward with left foot, bending both knees to help facilitate the move. (Right heel comes off the floor). Your front knee should be aligned over the second toe of that foot and your weight should be centered between your front and back foot.

Hold for 8 seconds, (remember to breathe) return to starting position and repeat lunging with right foot.

Wrist Curls

Hold arms in front of you palms up.

Using only your wrists, curl weights toward your body until knuckles are facing the ceiling.

Slowly lower and repeat.

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Working Out Your Bones By Mirabai Holland, MFA ©2012

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Mirabai

Weight Bearing Exercise

By now we all know that Osteoporosis makes bones so thin and porous that they can break during everyday activities like stepping off a curb or picking up a grocery bag.

We’ve all heard that estrogen protects women from bone loss and that we can loose up to 30% of our bone mass in the first 10 years after menopause. And we’ve heard that we should do weight bearing and resistance exercise to help prevent bone loss and promote bone growth.

But what IS weight bearing exercise? What’s the difference between weight bearing and resistance exercise? And what kind of exercise routine should I do to protect my bones?

I hear this all year long. So, here are the answers.

Weight bearing means literally making your bones carry weight. Standing makes your bones carry your body weight. Standing with your grandchild on your shoulders makes your bones carry your weight plus your grandchild’s.

Studies show that weight bearing exercises like walking and jogging that also apply impact to your bones are even more effective

Resistance exercise uses your muscles to apply mechanical forces to your bones like pushing (compression) pulling (tension), twisting (torsion), and bending.

So, the more weight, impact and resistance the better, right? No. Even if your body were a machine made of steel there would be a weight, impact and resistance that would break it.

And we know our bodies are much more fragile than that. Common sense must rule.

Walk, jog, jump rope, dance, pull on a rope, push on a wall, wring out a towel, and bend bones with weight lifting exercises. But do it safely. Do it in moderation. Stay in your comfort zone. Start with a comfortable amount and build up slowly over time. Take breaks between shorter intervals of training. Studies show that those break times may be when bones get stimulated to grow.

Studies also show that site-specific exercises are very effective. So, do exercises that involve the 3 areas most at risk for Osteoporotic fracture, the spine the hip and the wrist?

Walking loads your spine and your legs including the hip joints. Wrist curls and wringing a towel work your wrists and forearms.

Do any weight-training resistance exercises every other day because your muscles need time to recover. A starter routine might be 20 minutes or more of brisk walking every other day and weight resistance training on the days in between.

But make sure you talk to your doctor about your particular exercise needs and limitations.

They vary greatly from person to person.

So why not use Osteoporosis month to set an example for the women in your family of any age because it’s never too early or too late to start working out your bones.

To Read More On Osteoporosis:

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Posted on April 17, 2011 by Mirabai

Those of you who read my column regularly know that in May, Osteoporosis month, I always write about Osteoporosis.
With 12,000 boomers a day turning 65, that’s one every 8 seconds for the next 18 years; and with 50% of women over the age of 50 projected to have an osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime, I thought I’d be a little practical this year and give you a mini workout to help you protect your bones. Our bones are living tissue and grow stronger with weight bearing and resistance exercise. This is called Bone Loading.
And since the three areas most at risk for Osteoporotic fracture are the Spine, the Hip and the Wrist, here are 3 easy Bone Loading exercises, one for each of those areas, you can do using a pair of hand weights or a couple of soup cans. Use a weight that makes the exercise feel somewhat hard after 8 reps. Remember to always exhale on the exertion. Do 8-15 reps of each of these exercises. Start where you’re comfortable and build up.
And of course always consult your doctor before beginning this or any exercise program.

Double arm row: Loads Spine
Start with arms in front of you, weights together.
Slowly row arms back, bending elbows bringing weights to chest height.
Squeeze shoulder blades together, without shrugging your shoulders.

Lunge – Loads Hip and Femur (thigh bone)
Stand tall, feet about shoulder width apart, hands and weights at your sides.
Keep body erect and lunge forward with left foot, bending both knees to help facilitate the move. (Right heel comes off the floor). Your front knee should be aligned over the second toe of that foot and your weight should be centered between your front and back foot.
Hold for 8 seconds, (remember to breathe) return to starting position and repeat lunging with right foot.

Wrist Curls
Hold arms in front of you palms up.
Using only your wrists, curl weights toward your body until knuckles are facing the ceiling.
Slowly lower and repeat.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation has a wealth of information on your bones and Osteoporosis on its website www.NOF.org
And for more information on bone loading exercise visit www.movingfree.com

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Tag Archives: Osteoporosis Month

Bone Healthy Diet

MORE BONE HEALTH DIET DO’s

BONE HEALTHY DIET NO’s

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Skeletal Fitness: 3 Important Exercises

Skeletal Fitness

Working Out Your Bones By Mirabai Holland, MFA ©2012

3 Easy Exercises for Skeletal Fitness By Mirabai Holland, MFA © 2011