May is National Osteoporosis Awareness month. What exactly is this condition and how do you know if you have it? When you think of osteoporosis, you think of a little old lady who falls down and breaks her hip; but osteoporosis is not just a disease of older women, it can affect women of all ages. Tune in to find out what exercises you can do at every decade of life for healthy bones; and then how to modify the program if you’ve been diagnosed.

NOF’s Generations of Strength Campaign encourages men and women alike to start conversations about bone health and family history as the first step to protecting against osteoporosis.

We defined an energetic lifestyle as one that allows you to continue doing all the necessary and pleasurable things that create a quality of life.  For you, it might be traveling, cooking, gardening, playing sports or conducting business activities.  Perhaps it's just being able to go out and about in town – driving, shopping, going to movies, museums and restaurants.

Functional exercise reinforces the physical abilities you need to be able to do these things, such as:
Walking distances
Stair-climbing
Carrying and lifting
Getting up and down to the floor
Reaching for things safely
Getting in and out of a car

In the audience was a man named Louis who had just turned 84 and appeared to be quite fit.  He told me he'd always been an avid gardener, but found that this year he could no longer get up from the ground when he was tending his plants.  He struggled to find a support that he could grab on to and had to crawl over to it.  Empowered by the message of my presentation, he asked his doctor if he could strengthen his legs with exercise and was given the go-ahead.  Exercise is the first step in re-capturing youthful function to "Drop a Decade."

The Sirius XM studio that broadcasts Doctor Radio is actually located within New York University (NYU) Hospital, so the docs can do the shows in their scrubs and the listeners are brought into the medical setting. I'll be appearing again with Dr. Marina Kurian, Bariatric Surgeon and Medical Director for the NYU Langone Weight Management Program. She's very sparky and a lot of fun!
We'll be discussing fitness training for osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Tune in to find out what exercises are best for building strong bones and maintaining them at every stage of a woman's life.  And then learn how to modify the exercise program with a five point plan if you've already been diagnosed with the condition.

Please call in with questions:  877-NYU-DOCS

How does he keep going down?  In addition to his daily cardio sessions, he is incorporating more "labor" into each day, whether it's scrubbing the floor, building bookshelves, or walking back from the car repair shop, etc.   He's aware that as he develops the habit of increasing his day-to-day activity level he's creating a lifestyle change that will continue to benefit him in the long run.

And of course, he's watching his diet closely and keeping a daily record of his workouts and food intake, to be reviewed by me and the nutritionist Cherie Calbom "The Juice Lady" who recently teamed up with us.

Stay tuned for more good news!

I stopped doing all weights to let my body rest and called Roseann, my brilliant massage therapist who lives down the hall from me in my apartment building.  She worked her magic hands on the trouble spots and was able to release the muscles and restore proper alignment in a couple of sessions.

Now, I was ready to resume weight training, but wasn't in the mood!  Overcoming inertia is a real challenge at times.   So I decided to pick four exercises, two for the upper body and two for the lower body, and start with one set of 12-15 repetitions for each exercise.  That takes about five minutes, so no excuses.

I chose compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups.  For upper body: push-ups for the chest and bent-over rows for the back muscles.   For the spine and lower body: "good-mornings" (back extensions) and squats, using my 27# body bar.  In a week or two, I added a second set of each exercise.  After doing my cardio walk or run, I come home, put on some music, and do the weight training interspersed with yoga stretches.  It's easy, effective and convenient.

If you're stuck with inertia, try this rule of four:  Pick four exercises that work the major muscle groups and do one set of each, to start.  You might try the "4 for Life" exercises from my book Strength Training for Women .  Or pick any four that you like and start with them.  You can always add to them, but at least you'll have a start.