It is never too early to adopt a healthy lifestyle, geared to preserve bone density, strength, and weight-bearing ability. The best results are gained if preventative measures become a way of life, from the teen years and upward. However, no matter what your age, any effort made to balance the buildup-breakdown action of your various bone cells, will benefit your health. It is a startling fact, that one in four women in North America develop osteoporosis by their early 50s.

The two most crucial aspects of bone care are quite simple: adequate diet and exercise. Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Vitamin D and so on are imperative; but are useless in the long run without regular modulated weight-bearing exercise. Bone cells are dynamic: certain bone cells are continually producing fresh new cells for remodeling and maintenance; while another group breaks down old bone structures for replacement. Without exercise, this dynamic balance is seriously impaired.

Risk Factors for Osteoporosis

• Female, Caucasian or Asian ancestry
  
• Sedentary lifestyle
  
• Post menopause (especially if early onset)
  
• Thin, small bone structure
  
• Prolonged use of thyroid meds; cortisone; prednisone; or anti-convulsants
  
• daily intake of caffeine, alcohol and smoking
  

It's a common fact that life seems to be getting more complex: the need for multitasking has never been so high, in any other time in history. Juggling responsibilities, roles, deadlines, family, and keeping up with new trends and changes all take their toll. Quite often, worry sets in. Of course, worrying is nothing new - people have fretted and mulled over their problems since the dawn of humankind. But today, as never before, our minds have to jump from one complex problem or challenge to another, in quick succession, and several times a day. The hurry of modern life has bred new worries and concerns to deal with.

Experts have found, that people can deal with the hustle and bustle of life much more easily if they have developed "presence of mind" or a "Be Here Now" approach to the complexity of life. You will find, that if you can learn to deal with each concern and task with mindfulness, and full attention on that task alone, you will live and work with more efficiency and enjoyment. Going with the flow is the key. Having a "knowing" that all things are progressing as they should, and that at this particular moment you are doing everything you can by totally focusing on the task at hand lets you work from your center, with access to inspiration. This mindful knowing will help you to undergo each activity with everything you've got, without the draining effect of worrying about other things, while working on your current task.

Now that we are in the final few months of this century and millenium, our thoughts may turn to where we are going in this anticipated new "time". The year 2000 holds such promise, and for some, such fear. It feels like a brand new start to some; and the beginning of the end to others. To me, the distinguishing feature between those who look forward to it versus those who dread this coming new year is Vision. If you have a Vision of hope, you are likely excited and/or confident; if you have a Vision of the "destruction of the world as we know it," you are more than likely anxious when you think about the coming New Year.

Now is the perfect time to sit and contemplate. You may even want to write this down. What exactly is limiting you from rising each morning and loving your life and who you are? Make a list. Are there people in your life who limit your self-expression, or perhaps your very freedom? How about circumstances? Relationships? Job situations? How about your own feelings, your beliefs, or your very values? The first step in freeing yourself is to identify what stops you. Then you can start discerning what will shake these barriers from your life, to enter the 21st century in style, in confidence, and in grand form!

Many of us are now preparing for the bustle of Fall. Vacation is over, back to the daily busy schedule. It is easy to get lost in the fray. There is a practice you can adopt though, that can both revitalize your Spirit, and protect your physical and mental health. This is what I call, "The Daily Practice of Reverie."

Reverie is a flowing, a letting go, a following-your-heart kind of activity. Allow yourself,..schedule it in if you have to - anyway you can, allow yourself a few hours a week strictly for reverie. A time when you can totally give in to the whim and direction of your Soul to engage in comforting, relaxing, and revitalizing pasttimes. Let yourself go, and do what your Spirit guides you to do.

Listen to your inner Being and indulge it during these sessions for "You!" Write in your journal, compose a spirit song, bead a medicine pouch, dance your Soul's inspirations, paint a mystical picture, take an aromoatherapy bath, go for a massage, commune with nature, set up a romantic rendevous with your love, shop for a power object - whatever it is that would be joyful, powerful, and have special meaning for you! It will become a time that is extremely special for you: something to look forward to. Try it!

DynoWomyn has launched an interactive section on the site, one where you can share your views, your goals, your concerns, and your dreams. This community is open to all women to dialogue about being a woman in this fast-paced, ever-changing era. Discussion boards, chat rooms, photo albums, bookmarks, classifieds, and events are all part of the community. Please do come and check it out, and invite your female friends and family.

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