Boning up
10 easy ways to strengthen your bones
The gift I'd most like to give my Mom is one I can't give her: bones that are as strong as she is. But she's the only one who can do that, and I know she's working as hard as any professional athlete right now to get into the best shape she can. She has trained professionals helping her, and I don't pretend to be one of those. I thought I might be helpful by finding a few online resources about osteoporosis, particularly what to do about it. I thought I knew a little about it already, but it turns out that at least half of what I thought I knew was either wrong or the subject of much disagreement among doctors. We'll let them go on disagreeing until they figure it out, but meanwhile, here are a few easy things I learned about boning up, even if you already have osteoporosis.
1) Go outside and spend a little time in the sun.
Sunshine=Vitamin D
Vitamin D=Stronger Bones
You don't have to stay there long; 15 or 20 minutes a day should be enough. If you stay longer, wear sunscreen or a hat.(That's from nutrition pioneer Adelle Davis).
2) Drink some green tea. Dr. Julian Whitaker, whom I interviewed many times as a newspaper reporter, says green tea can help your bones. Start with a cup a day and see how that goes, but go slowly if you're on anticoagulants, since green tea contains Vitamin K.
3) Yoga. You don't have to do anything strenuous to practice yoga. The most important position is the final one, in which you simply lie flat on your back like this illustration for a few minutes, relax, and breathe.
4) Laugh. Belly laughs are a good workout for your abdominal muscles, and that will increase your overall circulation and help you heal, according to Denise Austin of Lifetime TV.
5) Cheers! If it doesn't conflict with your medication, have a drink now and then. A British study found that moderate alcohol intake (3-4 drinks a week) helped make bones stronger.
6) Good vibrations. Had enough weight-bearing exercise for one day? I know you're getting a lot of that kind of exercise, but when you're too tired, vibrations can also help keep your bones strong, according to NASA, which came up with that answer to the bone loss suffered by astronauts during long periods of weightlessness.
7) Beans. Legend has it they're good for your heart, but they're also good for your bones.
8) Elastic. You can do resistance exercises with elastic bands without even getting out of bed, the Mayo Clinic suggests.
9) Rest.
10) And don't sit at the computer too long (I should take my own advice on that, especially).
posted by Janet Dagley Dagley @5:03 PM
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10.5.04  |
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