January 2000

IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

• Resolutions For A New Millennium
  

• Announcing A New Strong Women Book!
  

• Online Chat With Miriam Nelson

• Are You Exercising Too Much?

• Does Fiber Inhibit Calcium Absorption?

• Avoiding Shin Splints
  

• Careers In Nutrition And Fitness

• From the Mailbox - Success Stories

• Media Watch - Selfcare.com

• Recipe - Sparkling Apple Juice

RESOLUTIONS FOR A NEW MILLENNIUM

Most of us make resolutions to improve ourselves as a New Year begins. This year - as we begin a new century and a new millennium - the task seems more daunting than ever. It's wonderful to have a focus (and a deadline) for thinking about positive change. But it's also very important not to set ourselves up for failure. Here are three simple suggestions for making resolutions you can keep:

• Give your resolution list a reality check. Have you set achievable goals, or are you expecting too much of yourself?
• Once you've set realistic goals, break them down into smaller goals that you can work toward. That way you can enjoy daily and weekly success instead of waiting for an endpoint that could be months away.
• Finally, be tough but kind to yourself. Take responsibility: expect yourself to achieve the short- and long-term goals you've set. But if you slip - and this happens occasionally to all of us - don't be so hard on yourself that it becomes counter productive. Rather, encourage yourself to get back on track. Eventually, you will succeed.

I wish you a happy, healthy 2000 - may you be strong in every way!

Miriam Nelson

ANNOUNCING A NEW BOOK - STRONG WOMEN, STRONG BONES

For the last year I have been working on a new book - Strong Women, Strong Bones: Everything you need to know to prevent, treat, and beat osteoporosis.

I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to write this book. I know how concerned women are about this terrible disease, because of the questions I get at lectures and in my mail. It's a subject that affects me as well - some of my favorite relatives suffer from osteoporosis, and I know I'm at risk too. But thanks to new research on exercise, nutrition, and medication, there's now a lot we can do to protect ourselves.

The book will be released early April in the United States and this summer in Australia and New Zealand. I'll tell you more about it in next month's newsletter. Meanwhile, you can read a description (and even pre-order a copy) on its Amazon.com page: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399145974/strongwomensta00A/

ONLINE CHAT WITH MIRIAM NELSON

If your New Year's resolutions tend to slip toward the end of January, here's a great way to boost your motivation: Join me online as I discuss and answer your questions about Strong Women Stay Slim. Mark your calendars! Date and time: Wednesday January 26, 6 p.m. EST (3 p.m. PST) URL: http://www.selfcare.com NOTE: Only 50 audience members can be accommodated at once, so log on early!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: I'm a 67-year-old woman in fairly decent condition. I have been doing the Strong Women program at a gym with a fitness trainer. I have found that I am quite fatigued the day after a session, enough to need a short nap. My muscles have been pretty sore the next day also. I have reduced the weight on the various machines. I have increased the time between sessions to two days. Do you think my body, my muscles, will gradually adjust or do you have any further suggestions. I am enjoying the fitness sessions on the machines and would not want to give up.

- Vivian

A: It's wonderful that you're enjoying the sessions despite the aftereffects! But you really shouldn't be suffering so much. It sounds as if your body has announced that you were overdoing the exercise. I think you were wise to increase the time between sessions and to reduce the weight on the machines. If you continue to experience pain and fatigue, I suggest you cut back further on the weight and then increase gradually.

Q: Is it true that fiber inhibits the absorption of calcium?

- Kathy

A: Fiber keeps your digestive tract moving, which prevents constipation and wards off ailments like diverticulosis. But calcium bioavailability can suffer if you consume too much fiber. When food speeds through your intestines, there's not enough time to absorb all the calcium. Another issue: fiber from the husks of grain contains phytic acid, which combines with calcium in the intestines and forms a compound that can't be absorbed. These problems are unlikely to arise if you get your fiber from food. But unless you've been instructed by a doctor to ADD fiber to food (e.g. by sprinkling bran on cereal), it's best not to do so because you could easily get too much that way.

Again, I want to emphasize that normal amounts of fiber - what you get from a healthy diet - are good for you. The problems arise only from excessive amounts.

Q: I would much appreciate any tips you may have on curing shin splints which I seem to have developed out of the blue. I think walking at a fast pace in the wrong shoes may have caused them.

- Margaret

A: Shin splints are tiny tears that cause painful inflammation in the small muscles on top of your shins. Causes - as you've guessed - can include overdoing exercise or wearing poor shoes; other culprits are walking or running on a surface that's too hard, or weak and inflexible leg muscles. Here are some suggestions for dealing with the problem:

• Give your shin muscles a rest for two to four weeks. Suspend strengthening workouts that address muscles in the lower leg. Minimize walking and don't run. Switch to biking or swimming workouts, which don't put much strain on your lower legs.
• For the first week, ice your shins several times a day to reduce inflammation.
• Stretch your ankles: While seated in a sturdy chair, point your toes as far forward as you can. Hold the forward stretch for 10 to 20 seconds. Then pull your toes as far back as you can, to move your ankle through the full range of motion. Hold the backward stretch for 10 to 20 seconds.
• After two to four weeks, cautiously resume strengthening exercises for your lower legs, such as toe and heel stands. If the moves are painful, wait a week and try again.
• Gradually resume walking and running workouts. Start gradually, progress slowly - and listen to your body so you don't re-injure yourself.
• Buy new shoes if necessary, taking care to get a proper fit. Remember that shoes wear out more quickly when you're physically active.

Q: I am a 42-year-old woman who is strongly considering going back to school. I have become extremely interested in the diet and nutrition field and the effects it has on the human body and am considering a career in that field. Could you please give some advice to someone like myself who really doesn't know if she has enough time left in life to pursue a Ph.D. in this field. I am at somewhat of a loss of where to begin.

- Terry

A: I am delighted to hear that you're interested in this area and considering additional schooling. Please don't worry about your age. I've seen many successful graduate students your age and older - their maturity and life experience are invaluable in their studies and in their professional work afterwards. As a first step, I suggest you check out available graduate programs on the Internet or by visiting your local library. Find out what degrees are offered, what the requirements are, and what careers their graduates pursue. Contact schools with programs that interest you - they'll be delighted to send you more information. I hope you'll take a look at the Web site of my department at Tufts University, http://www.tufts.edu/nutrition, and consider our program!

FROM THE MAILBOX

Here are excerpts from a few of the inspiring letters we've received recently. If you enjoy reading them, check out the collection of reader mails on our Web site and in back issues of the Newsletter.

"I have both Strong Women books. I began an exercise program in March and then added weight and strength training in April. On April 11th I began the "lifelong eating plan" and it has been a lot easier than I thought. I am still on the program, and it's been 9 months now. I am settled at 123 pounds and have maintained that weight for 2 months. I find I can basically eat what I want, including chips or ice cream... all in moderation. Thank you. I feel great!"

- Christine

"When I penciled in 'Week 25' on my exercise log today, I decided that I would send an e-mail 'thank you.' I wanted you to know how much it has helped my spirit during the months following treatment for breast cancer. Around the beginning of the year, at age 52, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

Early on I had decided that I was going to think and act productively about my recovery, and the Strong Women program fits right in with that mindset. Its just right for me: clear and well-structured, can be done at home, has a nice slow pace, and you always start sitting down! :) It has been easy to adjust the program for lymphedema prevention: I started using no weight with my affected arm and increased one pound at a time up to five pounds, which is the upper limit I decided upon for that arm, just to be safe. With the exception of push-ups, I do all the other exercises. Also, the slow count you recommend for the movement seems to keep the repetitive nature of the exercises from creating any problem.

Even when the oncologists give an optimistic prognosis, it can be difficult not to succumb to fear of recurrence following cancer. Being able to return to my former activities after cancer treatment has helped me maintain a positive outlook, and during a half year of very active gardening, housework and day-hiking with a full rucksack, I've had no problem in that arm at all. I feel that the muscle tone I maintain in my affected arm through the Strong Women program helps to account for that. (Not to mention that my other arm, which takes the brunt of the heavy work now, needs every bit of the new strength it continues to acquire.)

But I think the biggest emotional boost comes every time I strap on those ankle weights and start working out with the intention of strengthening my bones and muscles for the years to come. Your Strong Women program and the aerobic walking I complement it with is my way of saying every day that I truly believe in that future. Thank you very sincerely for the good work and thought which have made your program so easy to use."

- Jeannie

MEDIA WATCH

Below are the URLs for the articles I have written for Selfcare.com, which you may find interesting. Look for "Ask the Expert" in their Healthy Weight Center: http://www.selfcare.com/hwc

RECIPE OF THE MONTH: