I know, I know. You're tired of hearing about the importance of exercise.
But I can't help myself. It's always on my mind; always in the news in some shape or form.
Just the other day I received an email from the Know My Bones Council. In case you're not familiar with this organization, it consists of six leading health and women's groups (healthywomen.org is one of them) whose goal is to encourage women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, or PMO, to pay attention to their bone health and learn how to fight this disease.
So...why am I telling you this? If you're a baby boomer and/or post-menopausal, now's the time to pay attention.
Well, one reason is that if osteoporosis is not prevented or left untreated, it can progress without your knowing (it's painless). But, it's only painless until a bone breaks, most typically in the hip, spine or wrist. And you don't want to break a bone, especially not your hip: this type of fracture often results in hospitalization and major surgery and can further lead to disability and even death.
Women are four times more likely to suffer from osteoporosis as men are - scary, isn't it?
What's scarier are the results from a national survey, revealing that women may not be doing everything they can to adequately manage the disease. Below are a few results:
- One-out-of-five women with PMO are retiring later than they had anticipated; of those, 48% attribute later retirement to the current economy.
- 70% of all osteoporotic respondents are fearful about losing their independence or having to limit activities due to PMO.44% of women with PMO who have experienced a fracture avoid carrying heavy objects.
- 32% avoid activities/hobbies they used to enjoy with family and friends.
- 23% avoid climbing stairs.
Don't forget: there are simple steps you can take to protect your bones!
And to read some earlier posts on this topic (including a bone-healthy lasagna recipe) I give you the following:
https://healthywomen.org/content/blog-entry/bone-health-basics
https://healthywomen.org/content/blog-entry/do-you-know-your-bones
https://healthywomen.org/content/blog-entry/good-your-bones-lasagna
