Bone
building is an important part of getting ready for the menopausal
years. Because the 40’s are such outrageously ‘fun’ years,
it’s easy to forget that you are in a time of unique preparation for the
rest of your life, which might extend another 30-40 years - or
more. Coffee mornings can turn into feeding frenzies with friends,
as you plough through cheesecake and brownies, downing lattes like
there’s no tomorrow. But – there is a tomorrow, in just a
few years – and to ensure that these will be quality years, start eating sensibly right
now to conserve bone, not ‘spend’ it.
Bones
are like banks. They like you to save lots, and not withdraw
too much. Loans which are repaid too slowly end up costing much more
in interest, and having a positive balance is always a good idea. Bone
'banking' can be done through diet and exercise.
Weight
lifting exercises of course are extremely beneficial, as is any form
of exercise, as this helps to strengthen bone. Weight-bearing
exercise in particular helps to strengthen the arms, shoulders and
neck.
Start with teeny weights (tins of baked beans will do to
start with) and then gradually increase the weight until you are comfortably
lifting around 1,5 kilos per arm. It’s not necessary to look
like a body-builder, merely to increase your strength which wanes quickly
after 50.
Don’t forget the legs – walk as much as you can and
maintain strength in your legs. Strong bones are held together
by strong muscle groups – perhaps it’s time to invest in a personal
trainer. Ditch the excess coffee and cheesecake and put that money
into a good trainer – it’s an investment in your health you won’t
regret.
General physical fitness keeps you strong as your hormones
begin to decline - people who remain fit remain healthy, and strong
into old age. You don't automatically get old and weak – it’s
your choice!
Both
muscles and bones are built up through good nutrition. Eating for a
healthy present and a healthy future doesn’t need to be dull and
tasteless – it is the most delicious and varied thing you can
do!
Very often women think that eating red meat and animal protein
is going to deplete bone and is unhealthy. Not so, the experts tell
us. In fact the role of protein is to build and to repair. How
many times have you seen a vegetarian with thin hair? That’s most
often protein deficiency, so don’t lose your bones, muscles OR your
hair. Eat the size and thickness of your palm in good quality
animal protein daily, and you won’t have that problem.
The
other biggie is to begin to say “no” to simple carbs. Simple
carbohydrates are sugar, fructose, too much fruit, cakes, biscuits, fizzy
drinks, breads, croissants – all the things you probably think you’ll
die without! They are lovely while you are eating them – but the
cost to your body ultimately is huge. These are what rob you of your
skin elasticity, svelte waist, thick head of hair, your memory and
many other things you begin to miss later on. They are foods which
age you quickly. Of course that's not to say you will never eat
these foods again.
It's wise though to choose your poisons
carefully!
One way to do this is to decide that absolutely
everything you eat at home will be healthy. If you eat out infrequently,
this can be an ocassion for indiscretion - but if you eat out often - make
sure you choose wisely from the menu, with the odd pudding or coffee and
cheesecake with a friend once a week. Deciding to eat well and
'cheat' once a week is an excellent way to begin to discipline yourself
for later on, and gives you the best of both worlds.
If
you remain active you are able to eat more food than later on when you
become less active. This is where a qualified clinical nutritionist
will be able to advise you as to your calorific needs. Generally by
the time you are in your mid 40's you are needing around 1500-1700
calories, not the 2000 or more that you might be used to. And the
source of the calories will shift to complex carbs such as more
vegetables, less fruit, as little junk as possible, and the emphasis will
be on healthy, whole, fresh food.
Another thing to watch for in the
40's is to begin to slow down on the amount of grain you eat, and if you
really love your grains - begin to experiment with new, different grains
such as quinoa (a high-protein, non-allergenic grain), millet and
buckwheat. These don't turn to fat as readily and we tend to eat
less of them.
Eating
foods which slow down the ageing process become all important now.
These
are the brightly coloured, fresh foods which generally
don’t need anything done to them – vegetables! There’s nothing
nicer than a crispy lettuce with a juicy red tomato sliced into it, a
sweet onion and a lovely green cucumber. Right there you have the
beginnings of something utterly irresistible – tasty, wholesome, healthy
and anti-ageing! Now you can add all sorts of things to turn
this into a meal such as baby corn, peppers, anchovies, feta, olives - the
list is endless - and top it with a gorgeous home-made dressing of
balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Marry this culinary
delight with a crusty slice of home-made wholemeal bread, and a piece
of freshly caught fish – and you have a meal fit for a queen.
Making your own bread is something no woman should ever miss out on!
Get a breadmaker if you must - mine's been one of the best gifts I've ever
received - bung in the ingredients, and 2 hours later you can wow your
family with a healthy loaf of bread
Eating
more meals a day, five instead of three, balances blood sugar, and stops
'snack attacks' later.
It's also a strategy to ward off the
spectre of “late onset diabetes” or type II diabetes - good health is
all about balancing blood sugar. By making sure you always have
protein and starch (or “complex” carbohydrates) together at every single
meal, you will be sure to have balanced blood sugar levels. Don’t
fall for the fad of “food combining” (which should really be
called “food separation”) as this destabilizes blood sugar badly and
has devastating effects later in life including diabetes, neurological
damage, the strong possibility of strokes, and accellerated
ageing. Don't take this chance.
