When I turned 50 a few years ago, I looked in the mirror and said, "Now what?"
That was the start of my new life as a post-50 woman. I wasn't 'fab after 50' right off the bat, mind you. It took a bit of time and work... and a lot of soul searching.
But I had to start somewhere, so I began by taking a really long, cold, hard look at my body. Not just to see how I "looked" necessarily, but how I felt, inside and out. Truth be told, I was a bit out of shape, had gained close to 15 lbs., was a little tired a lot of the time, and imagined that this was what being over 50 was all about.
Appointments with doctors were made, which was something I had put off doing for what seemed like a very long time. Colonoscopy, annual physical, a mammogram and a DEXA bone density test. The works.
A few years earlier, when I was around 47, my doctor sent me for my first DEXA test because I was already perimenopausal and he wanted a baseline. At the time of the test, I was pretending to work out by joining an expensive gym and never going, and that was about it. I was still an Atkins-style eater -- low carbs, very few fruits and veggies, lots of meat and very little calcium. Supplements? None. Vitamin D? Nope. I was still in that delicious "I'm invincible" mode. Remember that?
When Dr. Antoine sat me down to review the results of first bone density test he had a very stern look on his face. My numbers, he told me, were closer to the "borderline" than he was comfortable with, and I needed to take specific actions -- immediately -- if I was going to keep them from going on that slippery slope toward the big "O." Strict orders were given: More calcium-rich foods, 1,500 IU of Vitamin D and strength training every day. Uh-huh, I said. Will do.
But I didn't.
I stayed with my own program -- which was doing nothing -- because I was convinced that I knew better. Like all of you, I was busy with work, kids, friends and life. Who had time to think about it? And I wasn't yet 50, and had gotten so used to excellent health my entire life (with not a single broken or fractured bone, not even a small toe) that I couldn't imagine my bones would actually start to work against me.
Big mistake.
Fast forward to that day I looked in the mirror and said, "Now what?" I made the appointment to get my second DEXA test, followed by an appointment with Dr. Antoine to review the results.
Here's what it said: Osteopenia. There it was right on the report, in black print on white paper. Osteopenia.
I didn't feel so very invincible at that moment.
Osteopenia is like the first stop on a train. In a few more stops you're at osteoporosis. And just having osteopenia means you're more apt to actually fracture a bone if you fall. In the few years since my last DEXA, I had done NOTHING at all to prevent this train from chugging down the tracks. The numbers were just slightly below the normal line and not in all areas, but the facts were clear -- in four years I had lost a measurable amount of bone density. A trend had been established, and now the time had come to do everything I could to head off a train wreck.
With my new resolve to get strong and fit for life, I went to the best experts to tell me what to do and how to do it. My goal was to create a program that included cardio to strengthen my heart, lungs and lower body, burn fat and lose (and then maintain) weight; strength-training to build muscle mass and bone density and more activity throughout the week to keep my energy levels up and everything feeling (and looking!) good. All that I learned was put into my book, The Best of Everything After 50, so other women could do exactly what I was doing and hopefully sooner than I did!
A few years went by and last year, at the age of 55, I had my third DEXA test. Result? All the areas that had been labeled "osteopenic" had improved and were in the "normal" range, while those that had been "normal" stayed right where they were. Good news for me, because a few weeks later, I ran the New York City Marathon! There's no way I could have accomplished that feat four years earlier before I started to take charge of my health.
It was fantastic news and served to underscore three important things I learned since becoming a woman over 50:
1. It's never, ever too late to get fitter and healthier.
2. It doesn't take very much to get there.
3. We can't control getting older, but we CAN control how we do it.
I am proud to report that the National Osteoporosis Foundation -- the leading organization devoted to the education, prevention and treatment of bone disease -- has decided that I should get an award! Not because I did such a good job at whipping my bones into shape, but because I write so much about it, inspiring other women over 50 (and younger!) to take control of their bodies and health.
If you're in the New York City area, please consider joining us. I will have the honor of receiving the Generations of Strength Award at the annual "A Gift from Mothers to Daughters Luncheon" (my husband and two teenaged daughters will be in the audience), and the award will be given to me by Gail Sheehy, the internationally acclaimed best-selling author. I am thrilled, proud, excited and nervous (still not sure what to wear!!), and hope to see alot of you at this wonderful event!
In the meantime, take a look at this short video showing probably the single best exercise anyone -- especially those over 50 -- can do to tone and strengthen almost every part of your body. There's no question in my mind (and that of Dr. Antoine's) that doing this every day (in conjunction with running and eating really well) has helped strengthen my muscles and build my bone density. After all, if you're like me, you want to feel good and look good but you don't want to spend hours getting there. Yay!
WATCH: The Plank
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Thanks for info as usual
Catherine
i'm 51 and ride my horses which helps keep me young.
So I tried to give them back but drug companies are smart - no drugs returned in those little unsealed bottles so some poor schmuck can't even get the benefit of my not needing them.
Finally I decided to get fit, lose the steroid weight (they gave it to me IV in a hospital for a couple of weeks without asking my permission). I now do the gym several times a week and have some routines I do at home. There's a pool there, great for arthritic joints. Mine have vastly improved.
I eat organic and I eat well. I do eat meat but I'm choosy. Every day my lunch is pretty much the same and I do not get tired of it. Raw fruits & veggies, p-nut butter on celery and nuts - and lots and lots of cold, filtered water. I drink milk and use butter, but I do NOT eat wheat. I tend to stick to brown rice, oats, etc for grains. Wheat seems to react very badly with lupus. Best of all I consume no sugar other than whatever's in the fruit, and honey.
For the past six years my bloodwork has bee completely ANA negative, lupus-free.
That is amazing!!!! Congratulations to you for all you've done to take charge of your own health. You are indeed a role model for all of us.
I, too, eat pretty much the same things every day, especially for breakfast and lunch. Kate is a HUGE part of my daily menu.
All best to you and please stay in touch.
Barbara
If you can do it several times a day, even better. Aim for three with a minute breather between each one. Better yet, do a plank, then 20 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, and 20 squats. When you do the squats make sure your "butt" is out and your chest is out. This will help your knees from getting hurt.
Keep in touch,
Barbara
David
Yes, I agree with Archer1260. This is an incredible good exercise to work the core which includes the back. You have to make sure you are doing it correctly, though. You must work hard to make sure your body is straight, like a plank, and that everything is tight. Watch the video, and have someone watch you the first few times you do it to make sure you're position is correct.
Add slow running with walk breaks every minute or so for 45 - 60 minutes every other day and you'll never need to go to a gym.
Keep in touch,
Barbara
But, I got my kids raised, my house to myself, my remote to myself, I do what I want, I did everything I signed up for and now is the time when I can actually afford to do things and I'm freer than I've ever been.
That's what turning 50 has meant for me. Freedom!!!!!!!! Freedom from child rearing. Freedom from doing all the crap you have to do to make a life - finding a mate, mortgages, building a career, blah, blah, blah.
My husband hangs in the man-cave in his Lazy Boy, with his remote and his sammiches, and I sit on my front porch with my dogs and drink beer. My kids are fun now because they are cool people. They visit. Then leave. God is it great.
Empty nest is the bomb.
That's another version but not necessarily the best way. David Kirsch, one of the experts I interviewed for my book and an internationally recognized experts in fitness, instructed me on how to do a proper plank. If you have issues with your hands or wrists then the version you describe is a good one. However, once you've been doing the version I suggest for a while, and you've gotten stronger, you should try to lower your body, almost as though your doing a push-up, hold the form, and stay there for 60 seconds or so.
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Barbara
Lookin' good, feelin' good!
It truly is an amazing no-frills, can-do-anywhere-anytime exercise that works the entire body. An added benefit is it's very zen-like because you have to remain perfectly still for at least 60 seconds. Not so easy to do . . .
In addition to this I also do plain old push-ups. And I run with walk breaks every other day (for about 45 - 60 minutes).
All the best to you,
Barbara
Thanks for reading and commenting,
Barbara