Osteoporosis update

[mimitabby]

Well, it's been 3 or 4 months now since I started on my exercise program of Strength Training, Cardio-weightbearing, and other exercises. I have been religiously taking my calcium suppliments and natch, riding the bike as well.
For Cardioweightbearing, I walk 1 mile a day 5 days a week; I do steps, running up and down steps 12 minutes a day 4 or 5 days a week. I am also hopping 15 times a day; 5 days a week, and now I am jumping 3 steps about 5x each day too.
At the gym they started me on 2 and 5 lb weights, and they were plenty. Today I bench pressed 17.5 lbs in each hand. My triceps which I have never even SEEN before have a presence now. And today, the most amazing thing, I did the first REAL pushups I have ever done.
Add to this the latest article I read this week about Vitamin D (http://www.newhope.com/nutritionsciencenews/NSN_backs/Mar_00/vitamind.cfm).

Sunshine Vitamin D is underrepresented in our diets, and even supplements tend to under dose you with this important vitamin. It fights cancer and builds bones!
To give you an idea of how little Vit D we get, they figure on a nice sunny day you can absorb 10,000 units of it. and how many are in your vitamin pill?
400? 600?

anyway, I am posting this here to keep it in the forefront because an immense number of us women have OSteoporosis or are going to. And bicycling alone is not going to keep it away because it's not weightbearing exercise. (but it's great for cardio!)

[LBTC]

Mimi! I am so Proud of you!! You rock!!

You have made excellent progress in a very short time. Well done!

Thanks for sharing the info on Vitamin D, too.

Congratulations!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Melalvai]

Hey! I just wrote a grant on vitamin D. We're going to test it in combination with a low dose of a drug to reduce breast cancer. The grant was submitted today. I don't expect it to get funded the first time through but we'll see in 9 months!

Remember--if you wear sunscreen all the time you aren't getting vitamin D. But you don't want a sunburn or you risk skin cancer! The answer is, get your sunshine dose, then put on sunscreen BEFORE you burn. Or, take vitamin D supplements

[mimitabby]

Mela
I hope you get your grant. This is pretty exciting stuff. YOu say you don't get your Vit D if you wear sunscreen; but don't you get it through your scalp and your clothed body parts too??

[Melalvai]

Mela
I hope you get your grant. This is pretty exciting stuff. YOu say you don't get your Vit D if you wear sunscreen; but don't you get it through your scalp and your clothed body parts too??
Thanks, I don't expect to get it first time through but I hope it'll get funded on the resubmission.
No, only exposed skin makes vitamin D.

[Zen]

It only takes about five or ten minutes a day to get sufficient vitamin D though, you don't have to bake yourself :cool:

[mimitabby]

Zen
it depends where you are. In places like Seattle, 5 or 10 minutes a day might not be enough. Especially the 5 months of the year that we are under thick deep clouds.

[Jolt]

I seem to remember hearing from a doctor I used to work with on some research that during the months of October through March, the sun is not strong enough in New England for the skin to produce vitamin D.