A Goal Without A Plan Is Just A Wish
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Having a plan makes everything better! From walking the Susan G. Komen 3-Day^® to planning your retirement, you won’t get there without a good plan. We’ve already talked about planning to train for your 3-Day, so now we’ll cover topics including healthy lifestyle choices, your bone health plan and adding stretching to take care of your body.

Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Making healthy choices can be TOUGH sometimes, but healthy lifestyle choices may help lower your risk of breast and other cancers and health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. We all need a reminder sometimes, so check out this link from komen.org to find out more.

Bone Health Planning
There are several factors that determine your risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Arguably the most prominent factor is genetics. If your mother or grandmother had a hip fracture, you might be at risk too. Other factors include smoking, consuming two or more alcoholic beverages a day, a history of certain diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, and taking certain medications.

American Bone Health offers the Fracture Risk Calculator as a great tool to determine your bone fracture risk. The Fracture Risk Calculator takes into account your genetic history and other factors to estimate your risk of breaking a bone in the next 10 years.

Another good way to learn about your bone health is by getting a bone density test, also called a DXA or bone mineral density test. This test uses statistical distribution to give you a result called a T-score. Learn more about the DXA test here.

American Bone Health recommends working with your health care provider to develop a plan to minimize bone loss and prevent fractures. Your bone health plan might include:

• Bone-safe exercise to increase strength and maintain flexibility while avoiding movements that could increase your fracture risk.
• Exercises to improve balance to help you avoid falls that can cause fractures.
• An assessment of your calcium and vitamin D intake to make sure you’re getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet. Talk to your doctor before taking supplements of these two nutrients.
• A discussion with your doctor about whether you should take an osteoporosis medicine that can reduce your risk of fracture by about one-third. You should also discuss how to lower the risk of rare side effects from these drugs.

Knowing your risk of fractures will help you create a road map for better bone health for life. We invite you to find more information and resources on our website, americanbonehealth.org.

Get Your Stretch On
As you plan for your upcoming 3-Day, there are stretches that can help keep you on track and moving in the right direction. Stretching is key to helping you maintain flexibility and avoid injury. You will be amazed by how much it helps your walking. To help increase your flexibility, you might want to consider adding a yoga or Pilates class into your training program. Click here for stretches to incorporate into your everyday routines!

Straight Talk from the Pink Bubble – Stretching “Don’t forget about your upper body when you are stretching. It may not be doing the obvious work like your legs, but it is still plenty busy keeping you upright and balanced. Give it the love it deserves when you stretch. Penny Kellam, 3-Day Walker and Team Captain, Kindred Spirits

This email is a part of the Healthy Living: Preparing your Mind, Body and Bones for the 3-Day Series. To catch up on blogs and emails about Healthy Living, click here.

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