Happy March! In this issue we have some new bone healthy recipes, new nutritional information, and talk about motivation. If you would like to see any articles about a certain topic please email support@osteofitness.com.

Recipes for Strong Bones

Egg and Chicken Rice Bowl Recipe Here!

Ravioli Cacciatore Skillet Meal Recipe Here!

Kripalu Pizza Recipe Here!

Osteoporosis & Exercise

Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens the bones by decreasing the density of the bone. This process leads to fragile bones that can break which can be deadly. The decrease of bone density comes from a change in the balance of bone formation (creating bone) versus bone metabolism (bone breakdown).

Aging, estrogen deficiency, being sedentary, and inflammation can stop bone formation and help bone resorption. Bone resorption is the process of osteoclasts (macrophage cell) breaking down bone tissue and releasing the minerals into the blood. Osteoblasts and collagen help with bone formation while we grow and after fractures.

How can we help our bones?

Exercise!

Moderate intensity exercise helps to increase bone formation through mechanical loading. Resistance training and exercises that involve leaps help with bone formation on a cellular level. When we engage in exercise the fluid in our cells moves along bone cell pores that cause stress and deformation of the bone cell plasma membrane. This is how bone remodeling begins. Exercise also helps with the survival of osteocytes (bone cells), and with the preservation of cellular and mitochondrial repair. Balance exercises help reduce falling and promote better posture.

Exercise can suppress inflammation with the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines (proteins). This helps with bone formation as well, and can stop pro-inflammatory cytokines that lead to a decrease in bone formation. 12 weeks of consistent endurance and resistance training lowers the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body.

Concord Osteoporosis Classes

$199.00 / month Osteofitness **IN PERSON** - Monthly Session Session Information: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 pm EST... Read more Sign Up!

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$199.00 / month Osteofitness **ZOOM** - Monthly Session Session Information: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 am EST OR 4:00 pm EST... Read more Sign Up!

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What can lemons do for you?

Food is the best medicine, and one proven way to improve health is through nutrition. Superfoods are foods are high in nutrients and antioxidants and have numerous health benefits. One of these such foods is lemon. Lemon contains vitamins: B3, B5, B6, C, and E, along with beta carotene, folic acid, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, limonene, flavonoids, fiber, and carbohydrates.
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The vitamin C in lemon is one of the best benefits, including boosting the immune system, wound healing, strengthening capillaries, and contributing to healthy skin and gums. Quercetin in lemon also contributes to heart health and increasing action of vitamin C.
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Limonene, one of the active compounds found in lemon, was shown to have anti- cancer properties. It also has antibiotic properties by slowing the rate of bacterial growth.
Limonene has also been found to strengthen and tone hair. Topically, it can be used as an antifungal or antibiotic to treat skin infections.
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Other flavonoids found in lemon stimulate the liver and help with detoxification. These same compounds also stimulate the gall bladder and aids in digestion. The fiber found in lemons
further helps digestion. Lemon can also impact the metabolism, encouraging weight loss. Finally, this fruit is known to reduce kidney stones and the risk of anemia.

On the go? We have Osteofitness videos available for purchase!

Anti-Inflammatory Foods: What's the point??

Before we find out what anti-inflammatory foods are, we need to know what is inflammation. Inflammation is the body's response to any type of illness, infection, or injury; it is the response to an irritant from the immune system.

When you get a cut, endure radiation, have a stuffy nose, or have extra stress, the body produces inflammatory mediators. These mediators, along with some hormones cause small blood vessels to dilate so that more blood can go to the injured area. The hormones involved in this process also trigger nerves that send pain signals to the brain. This makes is so that you do not use the part of the body that is inflamed.

This becomes complicated when someone has chronic inflammation due to stress or a inflammatory disease. Some inflammatory diseases include Rheumatoid Arthritis (permanent joint inflammation), Psoriasis (chronic skin disease), or Crohn's Disease (inflammatory bowel disease). Inflammatory diseases are the immune system fighting against the body's own cells by mistake which causes inflammation that is harmful.

There are some ways in which we can help our body fight off the inflammation. Anti-inflammatory foods contain probiotics, minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients that supplement the body to dampen the inflammatory response.

Foods with fiber, vitamin C, E, omega 3, and fatty acids help that inflammatory dampening. Pairing fiber and probiotics helps even more because the nutritional components have a more profound impact on inflammation than if they were eaten at different times. Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that fight free radicals, highly reactive, unstable oxygen molecules created during metabolism or from external sources such as air pollutants, pesticides, smoking, industrial chemicals, and more. These free radicals cause oxidative stress that damage other cells including cell membranes, proteins, lipids, and DNA.

Here is a list of whole foods that can help in an anti-inflammatory diet.

• Fatty fish
• Salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines, tuna, striped bass, and anchovies
• Nuts and seeds cooked in canola oil Mediterranean diet
• Whole grains
• Olive oil
• Dark chocolate
• Plant-based foods
• Dark chocolate
• Dark leafy greens
• Celery
• Berries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Almonds

Want to learn more about inflammation and how to heal? Check out our video!

$49.00 $41.65 Inflammation Workshop The Inflammation workshop describes types of inflammation in the body and why inflammation happens. Key topics include... Read more Get it now!

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How to be Motivated

You can overcome inertia and achieve your goals. When procrastination hits, try some of the
following tips to help motivate you!

Quite often we have the best intentions for performance in some areas. But we frequently fall short of our expectations when we find procrastination interfering.
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It is very possible you can remember some instance where you plowed through inertia and achieved your goal!
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Phew!! What a relief.
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Bev offers some tips that might expedite accomplishing your goals. These tips are listed under the big topic of motivation.

1. Reward: Offer yourself either a tasty treat or visit with a friend.
2. Accountability: Call a close friend or relative and tell them that you are about to perform an activity that is difficult for you to do. Ask them if they would receive a phone call or text from you after it’s done.
3. List: If you make a habit of scheduling your day add this task to your list.
4. Past: If you have performed this activity in the past and felt good about it, remember that. If it felt good, then it will likely feel good again.
5. Consequences: There may be consequences if you don’t perform this task or activity. For
   example, the prediction of aging without exercise is fairly poor.
6. Do a little: Just tackle a portion of it. You may be encouraged to do more, or you may want to stop. Do some of it so you are familiar with it and not overwhelmed.

Feeling hungry? Check out Dino's and get a discount!

Dino’s Kouzina & Pizzeria is a family-owned restaurant that specializes in serving delicious pizza and Italian / Greek cuisine to the Concord area community. They take pride in preparing food from scratch using only the freshest ingredients.
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Dino's has a some delicious appetizers that are great for building healthy bones, like their Hummus Dip and Tzatziki Dip, and if you mention that you're a client of Ikier Wellness Center, you'll get 10% off those two appetizers.