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Lynne Brick's Fit Tips ArchiveLynne Brick's Fit Tip #19, 2008 —
STOMP out Osteoporosis
(Please click here to view the video that accompanies this fit tip!)
May is National Osteoporosis Awareness month. Osteoporosis affects 55% of women older than 50 years of age. This preventable debilitating disease is the result of a gradual loss of calcium in the bones causing them to become thinner, more fragile and more susceptible to fracture.
Here are the top FIVE steps to STOMP out osteoporosis:
- Get your recommended daily dose of calcium and vitamin D. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends:
- Adults under age 50 need 1,000 mg of calcium and 400-800 IU of vitamin D3 daily.
- Adults 50 and over need 1,200 mg of calcium and 800-1,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily.
- Engage in regular weight bearing exercise. Walk (Be sure to STOMP while you walk. STOMP like you are squishing a bug or making wine!), take step classes, strength train, lift weights, take BodyPump and even STOMP your bones to better health! Please be aware that swimming and riding a recumbent bike is not weight bearing.
- Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol.
- Talk to your doctor about your bone health.
- Have a bone density test and take medication if appropriate. One of the best ways to measure your bone density is with bone density scanning, also called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA). This is an enhanced form of x-ray technology that is used to measure bone loss. DEXA is today's established standard for measuring bone mineral density (BMD).
Your T score is the number that shows the amount of bone you have compared with a young adult of the same gender with peak bone mass. A score above -1 is considered normal. A score between -1 and -2.5 is classified as osteopenia, the first stage of bone loss. A score below -2.5 is defined as osteoporosis. The T score is used to estimate your risk of developing a fracture.
Your Z score is the number that reflects the amount of bone you have compared with other people in your age group and of the same size and gender. If this score is unusually high or low, it may indicate a need for further medical tests.
Bottom Line: Exercise is the best medicine!
P.S.
Please click here to view the video that describes this fit tip. All you need is a video function. It is "white listed" and not spam.
You Go Girl!
Resources:
www.LynneBricks.com
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=dexa&bhcp=1#part_one
www.nof.org
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