Okay, OsteoDiet readers, we’ve wiped the slate clean on our “Walk Around the World” scoreboard. It’s time to slip on our walking shoes, pick up those weights, grab a tennis racket, or even pick up a broom and dustcloth, and rack up the miles!
How does it work?
1) Just click on the “Walk Around the World” tab on the black bar at the top of the page.
2) Once you’re on the WATW page, scroll down to either create a team or add yourself as an existing member of another team. (Hint: You’re always welcome to join the OsteoDiet team!) As soon as I receive your information, I’ll post it to the website.
3) Next, keep track of your physical activity. For example, write down how far you walked, how long you played tennis, or how much housework you did. Then use the conversion chart below to convert your activity to steps, and then to miles! You can post your mileage by yourself any time of the day or night.
How far we will walk around the world this year? Only time will tell. But every step we take will be a step away from osteoporosis and a move toward stronger bones and a Healthy New Year! I’m hooking my pedometer onto my waistband today!
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Use the Steps to Miles calculator at http://www.walk4life.com/customerservice/forms_stepstomiles.aspx to convert steps to miles, or multiply the number of minutes you did the activity by the number of steps per minute indicated on the chart below.
Aerobics, low impact 145
Aerobics, intense 203
Badminton, casual 131
Badminton, competitive 203
Basketball, leisurely 116
Basketball, game 230
Bicycling, leisurely 116
Bicycling, stationary 203
Bowling 87
Boxing 348
Canoeing, light 87
Chopping wood 174
Circuit training 232
Dancing 131
Elliptical trainer 203
Firewood, carrying 145
Firewood, sawing with handsaw 217
Firewood, stacking 145
Football 260
Gardening, light 116
Gardening, heavy 174
Gardening, weeding 131
Golfing, without a cart 131
Golfing, with a cart 101
Grocery shopping 67
Handball 348
Hiking, general 172
Hiking, 10-20 pound load 217
Hiking, 21-42 pound load 232
Horseback riding 116
Horseback riding, trotting 188
Housework, light 72
Housework, mopping floors 101
Housework, scrubbing the floor 110
Housework, vacuuming 101
Housework, washing windows 87
Ice skating 203
Judo 290
Jumping rope, fast 348
Jumping rope, moderate 290
Karate 290
Kickboxing 290
Mowing the lawn 160
Orienteering 260
Painting 131
Pilates 101
Ping-Pong 116
Racquetball, casual 203
Racquetball, competitive 290
Raking leaves 125
Roller skating 203
Rowing, light 101
Rowing, moderate 203
Running, 10 mph (6 min/mile) 463
Running, 8 mph (7.5 min/mile) 391
Running, 6 mph (10 min/mile) 290
Running, 5 mph (12 min/mile) 232
Scuba diving 203
Skiing, cross-country, moderate 290
Skiing, cross-country, intense 260
Skiing, cross-country, slow 203
Skiing, downhill 174
Skiing, water 174
Snow shoveling 174
Snowboarding, light 150
Snowboarding, moderate 182
Soccer, recreational 203
Soccer, competitive 290
Softball 145
Squash 348
Stair climbing, machine 260
Stair climbing, moderate 334
Stair climbing, vigorous 434
Stretching 72
Swimming, backstroke 203
Swimming, breaststroke 290
Swimming, butterfly 319
Swimming, freestyle 203
Swimming, leisure 174
Swimming, treading water 116
Tae kwon do 290
Tennis, doubles 174
Tennis, singles 232
Trampoline 101
Volleyball, leisurely 87
Volleyball, game 232
Washing the car 87
Water aerobics 116
Waxing the car 131
Weight training, moderate 87
Weight training, vigorous 174
Yard work 145
Yoga 72
If you keep track of miles or time–not steps–you can convert your miles to steps using the following formula:
*Walking or pushing a wheelchair at a moderate pace: 1 mile in 20 minutes = 2000 steps
*Jogging or running: 1 mile = about 4000 steps
*Swimming: 1 mile = about 4000 steps
*Cycling: 3 miles = about 2000 steps
Tags: osteoporosis, Walk Around the World, weight bearing exercise
Did you ever notice that life seems to co
me at us in waves of activity? I find this especially true of my life as a teacher.
On the job I tend to vacillate between high energy and burnout. Maybe it’s because I’ve always looked at energy as limitless commodity rather than as a renewable resource. When I run out of energy, I feel disappointed with myself for not measuring up to what I want to accomplish, and I feel angry with myself for needing rest. What a slave driver!
Life as a teacher can be a lot like labor, coming in waves of activity the same way that labor contractions speed up and slow down without our having much of a say about it. Eventually the baby is born, no matter how much stress and anxiety we feel, but it’s sure a lot easier once we learn to relax through the contractions.
That’s what I want to do with my job: I want to learn how to relax through the waves of activity without panicking, understanding when to push and when to rest, having the confidence that each season will eventually bring about what is meant to be.
I have come to believe that thoughts create emotions, rather than the other way around. I must transform my belief about energy and accept rest as a positive, desirable, enjoyable way of renewing energy, instead of seeing it as a waste of time. Perhaps then I will be able to breathe through the contractions of life, and reduce stress for the health of my body and the strength of my bones.
May you, too, enjoy the peace that passes all understand, both at home and at work.
Kathy
Tags: Osteoporosis; stress
Theresa Rowe, certified fitness professional and author of Shaped by Faith: 10 Secrets to Strengthening your Body & Soul says that exercise and prayer are the perfect combination for diffusing stress and settling the soul. You can take a quick look at her two-minute, time-out recipe for relieving muscular, mental, and spiritual tension by clicking on this link:
Enjoy!
Here’s the link to a great article from Vivian Goldschmidt! Makes us doubly glad we include lots of tomatoes in our diet. 🙂
http://saveourbones.com/bone-building-tomatoes/
Tags: Dr. Susan Brown, health benefits of tomatoes, osteoporosis diet
Today was a “grazing” day, since I am on winter break from teaching middle school. I ate when I was hungry, making sure to keep to OsteoDiet foods to build strong bones and a healthy body.
Morning/Afternoon: Fruity Protein Shake, banana, almonds, 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with SmartBalance buttery spread, 10 almonds, small baked sweet potato, 2 glasses of water
Evening: Dinner at Main Street Grill – Main Street House Salad with blackened chickened, 2 glasses of water with lemon
Exercise: 20 minutes on the treadmill at the YMCA
Positive attitude: Yes! It’s great to be on winter break!
Sunlight: None (Too cold out! Try again tomorrow.)
Water: 4 glasses (Try for 8 tomorrow.)
[Weight Sunday am, 12/27: 120.1. Goal by 2/21: 115 ]
Merry Christmas, OsteoDiet readers! I hope you enjoyed your holiday as much as I did. All nine of our children and their families came, as well as my parents and my aunt–but not all at the same time. Some came for breakfast, while others came for dinner. Although we couldn’t quite pull off a new family photo, I took lots of pictures and will make a family collage of Christmas 2009.
Christmas is my time to splurge and enjoy all the foods of the feast, even those not on my OsteoDiet. Along with the healthy fare of fresh fruit salad, applesauce coffee cake, cataloupe, steamed green beans and onions, and lean steak, I had several OsteoDiet no-no’s: coffee, popcorn, chocolate cake with frozen yogurt, a hashbrown casserole that contained both sour cream and cheese, and a three-cheese lasagna!
I don’t regret the one-day splurge one bit, but I’m immediately returning to my usual routine. In fact, I think it’s time to tighten up my health regimen a bit because I’ve been getting a little lax lately. It’s easy to forget what made me healthy in the first place when I wake up feeling strong and energetic!
In a nutshell, here is what has worked for me:
1) 80% alkaline/ 20% acid diet. Lots of fresh veggies and fruit, selected seeds and nuts, and modest portions of meat make for strong bones and a healthy body. No processed flours, sugar, or meats. No fried foods. No soda or coffee. No dairy products (for me–I don’t metabolize them well.)
2) Water, water, water! Try for 8 glasses per day. Herbal decaffeinated teas are good, too.
3) Faithfulness to taking my daily supplements.
4) Daily sunlight. Aim for 20 minutes or more.
5) Exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise and stretching.
6) Sleep 7-8 hours per night. Rest when needed.
7) Gratitude for God’s blessings, positive attitude about the events of daily living (“Cast all our cares on the Lord, for He cares for you…”), and dedication to fulfilling His will for my life.
Thankfully, I have a large selection of menus from The Daily Diet menus to help me stay on track, as well as a gym membership at the YMCA, a couple dozen exercise videos/DVD’s, and a supportive family.
I’m starting today to get a jump on the New Year. Starting weight: 123.2. Goal: 115.0. One pound loss per week would put the projected date for achieving the goal at February 21, 2010.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Kathy
Tags: osteoporosis diet
A reader recently wrote to ask me if I had taken a Dexascan to prove that my body is now healthy and my bones strong. I replied to her that, after all the research I’ve done over the past four years, I no longer have any faith in Dexascan testing or what it purports to “prove.” I received all the proof I needed that my bones were working perfectly when I my shoulder break healed in record time from a bike accident that happened in June, 2008.
You can read the whole story of how the drug companies escalated the diagnosis of osteoporosis by reading “How a Bone Disease Grew to Fit the Prescription” at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121609815. If the article makes you mad, remember that the emotion of anger is meant to move you to action, not to be held inside where it can fester. What to do? Choose what you know is best for your body, and stay the course. Let your anger be the seed of a renewed determination to protect your health, regardless of pressures put on you by family, friends, or physicians. Then, once you have found your way, spread the word to others.
Like the featured woman in this article, I am past the age of menopause, and a natural thinning of the bone is to be expected as normal. After all, I am no longer bearing children, and my body knows this. Also, I am a small-boned woman, and I will never have the bone density of a woman of a regular or heavy build. What’s important is that I eat healthy foods–preferably in an 80% alkaline, 20% acid ratio, exercise daily (including weight bearing exercise and stretching), get 20 minutes of sunlight every day, and sleep 7-8 hours per night. That’s the natural prescription for strong bones and a flexible, energetic body. And, the only side effect of this prescription is good health!
God bless you,
Kathy
Tags: drug companies, Fosamax, natural cures for osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteoporosis
