StrongWomen Newsletter

Issue 107, August 2007

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
Strong Women, Strong Backs
Founder of www.StrongWomen.com

IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE 

• Caregiving
• Upcoming StrongWomen Workshops
• Reader Questions and Answers
• How can I become more flexible?
• Can I do an exercise every day?
• Success Stories
• Recipe – Quick Blueberry Crisp

CAREGIVING

Five weeks ago my husband went for a bike ride on a lovely Sunday morning. Just a few miles out of town after cresting a hill and rounding a bend, he hit something in the road, flew off the handlebars and hit the pavement—hard! He took a terrible fall. His collarbone and three ribs were broken, and he had a bad concussion. Luckily he wore a helmet—it saved his life! He was taken by ambulance to an emergency room when I received the call. A week later a good surgeon here at Tufts reconstructed his collarbone. Now he’s very much on the road to recovery.

I’m sharing this personal story for two reasons. First, to tell you to always wear your helmet when you ride your bike! Helmets and seat belts have saved both my husband’s and my life over the past couple of years. But mostly, I bring up this incident to share with you my first-hand experience with caregiving.

For the first three weeks after the accident my husband could not care for himself; I provided almost all of his care. My teenage daughters and a sister-in-law helped when I had to be out of the house, but for the most part, all of his care was done by me. To say that caregiving is difficult and very stressful is an understatement. By the fourth day I was exhausted!

I realize that caring for my husband was only for a short stint. Many, many of you who are reading this newsletter have much longer-term caregiving commitments. I urge each of you to make sure that you also care for yourself while you are caring for others. If you need to get additional help, do so. You should be rested and well-cared for too. Please don’t forsake your own health as you care for others. A healthy balance is best for all involved.

For those of you who have major caregiving commitments, I wish you great strength.

Lifting women to better health,
Miriam E. Nelson, PhD

UPCOMING STRONGWOMEN WORKSHOPS

Several upcoming StrongWomen Program workshops are scheduled for the next few months. In order to be eligible for StrongWomen training, you must be actively strength training right now, and you must have a firm commitment to starting a program in your community. This training is to teach you how to “lead” a StrongWomen Program, and should not be attended simply for informational/personal purposes.

Date: August 8, 2007
Location: Dushore, PA
Contact person: Nancy Wiker
Phone: (717) 304-6851
Email: nwiker@psu.edu

Date: Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Location: Casper, WY
Contact person: Christine Pasley
Phone: (307) 322-3667
Email: chrisp@uwyo.edu or call (307) 322-3667

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: I have been doing your strength training program for approximately two years. While I feel I am getting stronger, I have noticed that I am not as flexible as I used to be. Can you help me understand what is going on?

A: Strength and flexibility are two separate things. While strength training is a great way to build strong muscles and bones, it does not do very much to improve your flexibility. In order to become more flexible you need to stretch on a regular basis. Try adding a 5-10 minute stretching routine to the end of your strength training program. You can find a stretching program in the Strong Women, Strong Bones book. You could also consider adding a yoga class to your routine. Yoga is another great way to improve flexibility.

Q: I thought I had read that the chair stand can be done every day. Is my recollection correct?

A: It is always best to give yourself at least one day of rest before trying to perform the same exercise again (no matter what the strengthening exercise). Your muscles need time to recover from the microscopic tears that were created as a result of strength training. The repair process is actually what makes you stronger. If you feel that the chair stand is easy to moderate in intensity and you could do it every day with no trouble, you may want to consider trying the wide leg squat. It is a slightly advanced version of the exercise, which you may find more challenging.

FROM THE MAILBOX: SUCCESS STORIES FROM INSPIRING WOMEN

Your strength training program has helped me so much. After my breast cancer surgery I had almost no strength or energy. I have been doing your program for one year now and I feel like a new woman. Now I am the captain of my Dragon Boat team!

-Paulette

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

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