Osteoporosis no match for ex-governor

• Exercise, diet can help keep bones strong

By Nanci Hellmich
USA Today

•	Medical terms Osteoporosis: A porous-bone disease that leads to bone fragility and increased risk of fractures. Osteopenia: A low bone mass that could develop into the more serious osteoporosis.

The first half of the book is autobiographical, the second half a primer on how to prevent osteoporosis, a disease in which bones become fragile.

Richards, whose mother and grandmothers had osteoporosis, had a bone-density test in 1996 and discovered she had osteopenia, which is low bone density that can lead to the disease.

Since then, she has worked hard to strengthen her bones with a good diet, calcium supplements, weight-bearing exercises and osteoporosis medication. She no longer smokes and drinks only decaffeinated coffee. Richards was treated for alcoholism in 1980, which she recounted in her autobiography, "Straight from the Heart."

She has taken several different osteoporosis medications over time and now takes Evista. She is a paid spokeswoman for Eli Lilly, which makes the drug.

A senior partner with Public Strategies Inc., Richards splits her time between New York and Austin, Texas.

Q. How did you discover you had osteopenia?

A. I knew that something was wrong because the collars of jackets and shirts didn't fit right. I realized my neck was shrinking. I have a checkup every year without fail. I said to the doctor, "My mother is breaking all these bones and has osteoporosis, and I think I need a bone-density test."

Q. How is your osteopenia now?

A. It has stabilized everywhere, and in my spine, my bone density is now normal for a woman my age, and the damage is reversed.

I caught it just at the right point.

Q. How much do you walk?

A. I do as much as I possibly can. I walk six to nine miles a week. Nine miles is much better. I walk with my daughter a lot when I'm in Austin, and when I'm in New York

I walk back and forth to work.

Q. What strength-training exercises do you do?

A. Anything you can think of in the gym in terms of machines and free weights. I go to the gym twice a week, religiously.

Q. Do you have a trainer?

A. I have a trainer because, if I have to meet someone, I'll be there. If I don't have to meet someone, it might seem a whole lot better to stay in bed. Women are funny. We won't disappoint someone we have an appointment with. The trainer makes sure you have a full range of motion and are exercising all the muscles. And they make sure your form is good.

Q. If you lived your life over, what would you do differently in terms of health?

A. I would encourage my children to eat more calcium-rich foods. The stronger they are to start with, the stronger they are going to be as they start losing that strength.

Exercise, diet can help keep bones strong

Building strong bones during childhood and the teen years can be the best defense against developing osteoporosis. By age 20, the average woman has acquired 98 percent of her bone mass.

Four steps to strong bones:

• Eat a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.
• Do weight-bearing workouts such as walking, jogging, playing basketball, tennis and volleyball, and strength-training exercises.
• Live a healthy lifestyle with no smoking or excessive alcohol intake.
• Undergo bone-density testing and medication when appropriate.

Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation