StrongWomen Newsletter

Issue 82, July 2005

I hope you find this newsletter helpful, and that you share it with your friends. Feel free to forward, post or reprint it – but please credit strongwomen.com for the information and don’t change the content.

By Miriam E. Nelson, PhD

Author of :
Strong Women Stay Young
Strong Women Stay Slim
Strong Women, Strong Bones
Strong Women Eat Well
Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis
The Strong Women’s Journal
Strong Women, Strong Hearts
Founder of strongwomen.com

IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE

• StrongWomen Program now in 32 States
• Visit Dr. Nelson in Australia!
• Reader Questions and Answers
-- My knees creak, help?
-- Calcium citrate on an empty or full stomach?
• From the Mailbox – Success Story
• Recipe – Strawberry-Mango Smoothie

STRONGWOMEN PROGRAM GOES NATIONWIDE!

Three years ago my colleague, Rebecca Seguin, and I developed a community-based StrongWomen Program. We developed the toolkit and training workshop to meet the demand of health professionals around the country who were interested in starting their own programs based upon my books and our research. With a little bit of funding we developed the program and starting disseminating it through a series of workshops.

As of today, we will have trained just over 700 allied health professionals to implement and run the program. Approximately 70% of these individuals have started programs in their communities. To date we have 32 states that have ongoing programs. Our largest programs are in Kansas, Alaska, Arkansas, and New York.

I am very proud of the work of these community champions to get these programs going! The program in Arkansas was highlighted last year to the Arkansas legislature as one of the public health programs with the highest impact in the state.

For more information about the community-based StrongWomen Program please click here or you can visit StrongWomen.com and click on “local programs.”

The StrongWomen movement is gaining momentum! Thank you to everyone who is taking part in changing attitudes and behaviors of mid-life and older women.

Lifting women to better health,

Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D.

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DR. NELSON IN AUSTRALIA!

I will be headed to Australia the first two weeks in July. I will be doing promotion for the Australian release of “Strong Women, Strong Hearts” and doing a seminar series for the Council on the Aging in Victoria. It will be great to see some of you there! Conference series: Strong Bodies Strong Hearts Council on the Aging, Victoria, Australia Date: July 5 Location: Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre, Preston Date: July 6 Location: Geelong Convention Centre Date: July 7 Location: Wodonga Leisure Centre Contact COTA for more information: enquire@cotavic.org.vic

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Be sure to check out the other questions posed to Miriam Nelson, PhD and Rebecca Seguin, MS, CSCS at: http://strongwomen.com/faqs/

Q: Six to seven years ago, I had surgery for a torn meniscus, and I also have noisy shoulders. Will lifting weights make these concerns worse?

A: You can definitely benefit from the regular strength training, but there are some critical points to keep in mind. First, your joints are affected by the length and tension of your muscles. Stretch after you finish exercising, but hold the position at the first indication of stretch. Avoid moving quickly into very intense stretching positions or extreme joint angles. Second, maintain excellent form during each strength training exercise. This prevents your joints from being positioned incorrectly and allows you to receive the maximum benefit from the exercise. You might try seeking feedback from a fitness professional. Three, a proper warm up before strength training will increase the amount of synoviel fluid in your joints, effectively "bathing" them and cushioning the impact of movement. Slowly moving your arms in circles, and gradually increasing the arc of movement can help to warm the shoulder joint. Fourth, aim to lift and lower the weights in a smooth and controlled manner. This reduces the demand on the joints. Five, you should seek the advice of a trained professional in determining what is safe for you to do with a previously torn meniscus. Information that you need to know includes, has the surgery healed successfully, what movements should I avoid, what exercises are recommended, and how do I avoid having a similar injury occur again.

Q: I just bought some calcium citrate and the package recommends taking the supplement with meals. In your book, "Strong Women Eat Well," you advise that calcium citrate can be taken after eating or on an empty stomach. What is best?

A: I am not sure what brand you bought. I know that with Citracal brand calcium citrate it states on their website that you can take at any time of day on an empty or full stomach. Generally speaking, calcium carbonate should be taken on a full stomach so that acids in the stomach can help with absorption. Calcium citrate doesn’t need the stomach acids to work so it doesn’t matter. Perhaps your brand is a little different.

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FROM THE MAILBOX:

SUCCESS STORIES FROM INSPIRING WOMEN

I have followed the Strong Women Stay Young program for about two years and although relatively faithful, an experience this past winter made me a true believer. In the past I have had medical intervention for a persistent shoulder problem. Since establishing the weight training routine, I no longer have that discomfort. I vary between using the free weights at home or machines at a center depending on where I am. Due to an intervening illness this winter, I was unable to keep my weight training active for about three weeks. I noticed at the end of that time that my shoulder was once again bothering me considerably. I felt able to resume my training (on machines at that time) and after only two sessions, I have been free from all shoulder discomfort. Because of the three week interlude, I did drop back somewhat in the amount of weight used, but after a few sessions was back to my previous levels. That was about two months ago. I am a true believer now!!"
-- Suzanne

I know you don't need any more testimonials but I am compelled to write to simply say "thank you" for giving me strength, literally. I began my program on Jan 2nd, at which time I weighed 169 pounds. I am 5’2” and in relative good shape despite the excess weight. I began going to the gym every other day and have stuck to that for the last 2 months. I do 30 minutes on the treadmill, either walking or running or a combo-each time I attend. One day I do upper body, the other I do lower body. I feel so strong. I can pull down 90-100 pounds. I can do 90-100 pounds on the leg extension machine. Today I weigh 158 pounds. It is not a great weight loss if you consider all of the other diets on the market, but I look good and feel better than I look. My friends all want to know what I have done. Almost like I have discovered something new. I have not. It is simple. Eat healthy, make the right choices, but still enjoy life. Work out. Make it a priority. Lift more each time if you can, you will be surprised at how strong you really are. Some days are better than others. Your clothes will fit better...some things are getting too big...it feels great. No gimmicks...no pills...just me against the world and it feels wonderful. Thank you so much. I have shared the book with all of my friends on the same quest and have encouraged my gym to buy a copy for their clients. The premise of what you preach is sound and after all of these years...I feel stronger and healthier at 38 than ever...I look forward to your next book.
-- Gina

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RECIPE OF THE MONTH

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