May: Time to Think of Your Bones

I love the month of May. It means not only that good weather has arrived but also that my spring allergies are all but gone now that fresh new leaves are making trees proud again.

            As I was musing about the trees on my walk today along the lake near my house I saw another sure sign that May is here. A lady who spends a lot of time kayaking on the lake from early spring to late fall was there paddling away. This is a woman of a certain age, as they say, but that does not deter her from enjoying nature while keeping herself and her bones in shape. 

In the U.S., May is National Osteoporosis Month, a time for boomers to assess what they should be doing to prevent low bone mass. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) more than one half of the U.S. adult population over the age of 50 is at risk of breaking a bone and should be concerned about bone health.

            As a female with relatives suffering because of osteoporosis, I am well aware of the importance of taking care of my bones. However, it should be noted that men can also fall victim to osteoporosis as they age. Everyone should know the state of their bone mass by having a simple bone density test.

            Proper nutrition and physical activity are critical for bone health and for preventing broken bones. Weight-bearing exercises are known to help build bone mass and should be part of everyone’s physical activity. Weight-bearing exercises include walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, playing tennis and dancing. That’s why you can usually see me dancing by myself around the house whenever I can. I am confident that it will help keep my bone mass from deteriorating even if my grandchildren are of the opinion that I should leave dancing to the professionals.

             By the way, those for whom swimming or cycling is the mainstay of their physical activity, it should be noted that while these do provide heart-health benefits among other things they are not weight-bearing exercises.

             Diet also plays an important role in preventing and managing osteoporosis according to NOF. Their redesigned website www.nof.org offers a new “Food for Thought” online pop quiz and an updated brochure Your Guide to a Bone Healthy Diet. There is also an upcoming free webinar which will provide information on current treatment options available for osteoporosis.

             It certainly makes sense to visit the site to learn more about bone health and preventing osteoporosis.