Sally Field on Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis was the farthest thing from my mind because I’ve always tried to eat right, exercise and be active.
But a test showed I was rapidly losing bone density and my doctor said I had osteoporosis. Quite honestly, I felt depressed by it all. I didn’t feel young. I felt tired. I thought, “good bye skiing and horseback riding – hello rocking chairs.”
I really value being active, not to look thin or young, but because it makes me feel so alive. That’s why I decided not to let this defeat me, but tackle it head on. My doctor said that I could take a postmenopausal osteoporosis medicine just once a month to strengthen my bones.

If you have osteoporosis, you need to talk to your doctor. This part of your life is supposed to belong to you. Don’t give up on it.  You know we can’t turn back the clock, but we can help prevent osteoporosis fractures, which now happen to half of all women over 50 in their lifetime. So join me in a new kind of 60s revolution — Rally With Sally For Bone Health. We can support and encourage one another to understand and actively manage our osteoporosis. We have fought so hard in our lives for things to be better, not to accept the status quo. We surely can’t stop now that we are entering this next part of our lives. I made a promise to protect my bones, and I want you to promise, too.

At this time of year, as the hustle and bustle of the holidays begins, I love the quiet moments.  They give me time to take it all in and reflect. The almost constantly blooming California hills are momentarily at rest before embarking on a new season.  My own life is about to enter a new phase now that I’ve marked my 60th birthday on November 6th.

Looking out on those hills makes me proud of one pet project: gardening. In my own backyard, I've been working to restore the vegetation that is indigenous to the Santa Monica Mountains. I'm cultivating plants that are hardy, drought tolerant and truly appropriate for this area. My vision for this garden is to bring it back to what it might have been like without me putting a hand on it -- as if it had been untouched by humans over the ages.

That means a lot of trees, including five varieties of eucalyptus and some big olive trees. I've also got a whole bunch of oak, including some that have been here even before the area was settled in the mid 1800s. If oak could talk, we'd hear some amazing tales about California history.

And then there are the flowers. Poppies, Santa Barbara daisies and lovely ceanothus, with its dark green leaves and little purple flowers.

My investment in the land has really been an investment in myself. Gardening is incredible exercise. Working my way up and down hills gives me great exercise and is a lot more fun than being inside on a treadmill or stair climber. I'm always raking, which is a workout not unlike the one you get on a rowing machine. Then there is pruning, which gives me an all-over workout.

Like those venerable oaks, I want to have a good foundation that helps me stand strong. With the benefits I get from my regular exercise routine, plus gardening, and extra help from my doctor, I feel I'm taking important steps to ensure my bone health. And as I reflect on the year's activities, those are the kinds of things I'll be glad I took the time for.

Until next time,

Sally Field

You can find Sally Field on the web at www.bonehealth.com.