HealthBee

I got a call from my old friends called me last night. We hadn’t talked for a long while, so we shared a lot of news from our lives as well as laughing about some of the memories we had.

My friend was a championship bull rider of her high school. I was blown away when she showed me one day. She made it look easy. When I said I wanted to do it, she actually told me I probably shouldn’t do it, that it took years of training before she had enough strength to ride bulls.

“Come on,” I said. “It’s not like cowboys are the athletic types.”

She took of her shirt and showed me the most ripped female body I’ve ever seen and then explained to me what it *really* takes to ride a bull — and for that matter — be in the rodeo circuit at all.

• An extremely strong, flexible back and shoulders: Part of the art of riding a bull requires a back that has the ability to take a lot of shock and be able to move freely. And, getting whipped around the way you do actually builds up muscle tissue.
• Strong Arms and wrists for gripping the rope and moving for balance. You use all the muscles in your hands and forearms to grip.
• A core and chest of steel Just as your back must be strong, your core must also be strong on the front of the body to handle the shock and jarring of the ride. Your core must be as strong as your back so your body isn’t lopsided.
• A sense of balance that rivals that of a gymnast When you’re getting whipped around, knowing which way is up is a valuable skill.

How did my friend get in shape to do all this. Among other things, by tossing 80 pound alfalfa bales in the fall on her neighbor’s horse farm.

When I was just out of college, my friend and I attended the National Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas, and it really put my perspective of cowboys and cowgirls in a new light. Many people don’t give them the credit for the athletes they really are. If you get a chance to see a large rodeo with professional cowboys and girls, it’s worth seeing. Television just doesn’t show you the amazing things these athletes can do.

This year, Wrangler is sponsoring the National Rodeo Finals in December. I remember, 10,000 years ago when I attended that there were no bad seats in the house, so whatever ticket you get is a good one. Here is a place to buy WNFR Tickets.

Everyone needs to know how to perform a self breast examination. It’s something you need to do each month so you can monitor changes in your breasts. Sometimes, though, it helps to have a trusted friend or spouse help you with this as they can see changes you may not. The following video shows you to do a self breast exam and what changes to look for in your breasts.

Some people may find the following video to be inappropriate for children as it does show bare breasts.

OK. I can’t get enough of Vitamin D lately. I’m fascinated learning about it.

One of the questions I had with my doctor was to ask about Boniva. I had been taking it for years, and when my x-rays showed my bone density as improved enough that I no longer had osteoporosis my doctor pulled me off of it.

About a month ago, I went to my doctor and learned that my toe was cracked. I asked her if perhaps my osteoporosis was back. She told me that she wanted to get my Vitamin D levels back to normal before she put me back on Boniva. I asked what her thinking was, and she told me that even if I took Boniva (or any other Bisphosphonate such as Fosamax or Actonel), my body would only build weak bone. Without Vitamin D levels at a normal level, you’re not really helping yourself.

As always, talk to you doctor about what is best for you, but you might want to ask to be tested for Vitamin D.