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SANDI, ANNEKE AND ALLIE: A MOTHER-DAUGHTER JOURNAL

Part four in a series, the following is an excerpt of the journal of Sandi, Anneke and Allie, a mother and two preteen daughters who are helping each other to start and maintain an exercise routine.

With our journal series we bring you the challenges and accomplishments of an average woman: someone who, like all of us, balances a life full of work, play, friends, family and occasional struggle.

We hope you find inspiration in their daily endeavors, and perhaps decide to try something new and challenging yourself!

I haven't exactly been journaling over the last few months. But what I have been doing has had an incredible impact on my health and fitness.

Since my last entry to The Buzz I have been laid off from my job. This was the best thing that could have happened. I wasn't happy in my work environment and had been searching for another job for months prior to my lay-off.

I now work for a health management company (not an HMO) whose goal is to help people, through medically supervised programs, manage their weight by making behavioral and lifestyle changes. One of the goals of the company is to have its employees be role models for their patients and consumers. I decided to take on this challenge back in May and have been pleased with the results.

Let me briefly explain what lifestyle changes I have made. I have been consuming the amount of calories that a person at my goal weight would need to maintain their weight; I eat an average of 6 fruits and vegetable every day; and I have been burning a minimum of 2,000 to 3,000 calories a week doing a variety of physical activities (walking, running, swimming, tennis, basketball, stair climbing).

The key part of all of this is my record keeping. I keep track of all of these numbers on a daily basis. I know it sounds tedious and time-consuming, but now that I am in a groove it has become a part of my daily routine. I have become a goal-setter around my health and as a result have lost 16 pounds, am able to go out for a 6-mile run with no problem, and can't go a day without eating massive amounts of produce.

The record keeping is a lot like journaling; it goes something like this: the top of the page of a very small notebook is for keeping track of what was eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as snacks in between ( I have a basic knowledge of calories and read lots of labels); the middle of the page I reserve for keeping track of how many calories I have expended.

For instance, I know that a person at my weight burns four calories a minute walking at a moderate pace, and burns eight calories a minute running at a moderate pace. So, if I walk 30 minutes and run 45 minutes in one day, I have burned 480 calories.

At the bottom of the page is a summary of all of my numbers for the day, calories in and calories out, and the number of fruits and veggies I've eaten. This system works well for me because it shows me where I am and what my next step is towards meeting my goals. It's like always knowing if you are on track with what you are trying to accomplish.

So what does all this have to do with journal entries for The Buzz? Everything!

The purpose of my girls and I journaling was to show how we balance fitness with family, work, and basically, life. Anneke and Allie see the way I eat and how much I value daily exercise and I know I am their role model.

My role modeling project at work has had an impact on our family in such a way that if the girls have not been active during the day, they are asking me to take them to the gym when I get home, they reach for fruit more often than they used to, and they are learning to limit their intake of junk foods.

What I am trying to model to them goes against the messages our culture is sending them. It is no wonder that childhood obesity in our "super size it" society is growing by leaps and bounds. There's fast food in schools and practically on every corner, not to mention TV ads. It is convenient, cheap, and in some cases even tastes good! But it is making us and our kids unhealthy.

Okay, one last journal entry from Anneke, Allie and myself:

August 19, 2002: Between my walking commute to and from the train to my office building in Boston, and my two three-mile walking meetings (these are very common with the company I work for), I had walked eight miles by the time I got home.

After dinner Anneke said she and Allie hadn't been out of the apartment and they wanted to go to the gym. So, the whole family, including Scott (husband/dad), went to shoot hoops. Allie lost interest after a while and decided to run a mile on the indoor track. No one forced her to do it - it was all her idea!!

When we got home an hour later, we munched on watermelon and apples (yay summer fruit!). Ah, to be young (and healthy) again!

Osteoporosis: The Silent Killer

What disease affects 15 to 20 million Americans and is linked to 1.5 million fractures a year in people over the age of 50? (Layne and Nelson 1999)

What disease affects one out of every four women over the age of 60? (Sato 1999) The answer is osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is characterized by a gradual reduction in bone mass. This happens when we lose the minerals in our bones, making them vulnerable to fractures.

Osteoporosis affects more women than men. Osteoporosis can attack any bone in the body, but most often affects our wrists, hips and spine. Because there are typically no signs or symptoms until a fracture occurs, this disease is sometimes called "the silent killer."

One sign we do often see is referred to as kyphosis. Kyphosis occurs as the spinal bones lose their mineral content and cause the spine to curve over into a hunched posture.

Discuss with your doctor your risk factors for developing osteoporosis. They include: menopause, low bone mass during maturity, low calcium intake, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, heavy alcohol consumption, and family history.

The key to managing osteoporosis is calcium replacement and exercise. The RDA currently recommends individuals between ages 10 and 24 should strive for 1,200 mg of calcium per day and adults older than 25 should consume 800 mg of calcium per day.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, postmenopausal women not taking estrogen should consume 1,500 mg of calcium per day. Always check with your doctor for recommendations specific to you.

Weight-bearing activities may also increase bone density. For one with severe osteoporosis simply standing for a short period of time may slightly increase bone mass. For most of us, walking is the recommended activity.

For those interested in preventing osteoporosis, resistance training should be a focus. When our muscles contract as in resistance training, our bones must become stronger to withstand the force of the muscles pulling on our bones. Begin with light weights and progressively add more resistance, using the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines of 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per exercise.

In 1892 Julius Wolff first described how our bones change with the amount of stress placed on them. Out of his research came The Principles of Wolff's Law. The law is based on three principles. First, the law states the more stress we place on our bones, the stronger they become. Second, weight-bearing exercise increases bone density and strength. Third, reduced weight bearing leads to thinning and eventual loss of bone tissue.

What does this all mean? Use it or lose it. Start moving today!

By Nicole Clancy, MES, CFT Nicole Clancy is aŹ Medical Exercise Specialist and Certified Fitness Trainer