Last month my 74-year-old mother while walking, tripped on a small tuft of grass, fell - and broke her rib! Her recovery has been painful, debilitating and at times depressing. It also affected my elderly father who relies heavily on her day to day.

Surprisingly, this instance of fracture was not due to osteoporosis. However my mom’s experience caused me stop and think deeply. As a 40-something woman, am I doing everything possible to keep my skeletal system in tip-top condition?

Once we get past the inevitable scrapes of childhood, during our middle years we don’t give too much thought to our bones. We understand that bones make up our structural frame, but we tend to think of our bones like the frame of a house. Supporting and rigid, and that’s it.

The truth of it is that bone is an active, living tissue. Bone is constantly changing, undergoing synthesis and remodeling itself. Like all other bodily tissue, bone is totally dependent on many different micronutrients and enzymes for optimum bone function and health.

Unfortunately the typical western diet is now so heavily weighted with white flours, refined sugars and fats it is deplete of many of the micronutrients required for healthy bones.

There are other aspects of concern with the typical western diet. Do you regularly drink carbonated beverages? Did you know that carbonated drinks increase the body’s intake of phosphorus - which, in turn, decreases our absorption of calcium. Decreased absorption of calcium can lead to an unhealthy, nutrient-starved skeletal system. And in time this can lead to osteoporosis.

Whilst calcium is necessary, it is not the only critical micronutrient for healthy bones. Make sure your diet has an adequate supply of magnesium, zinc, silicon, boron, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, Manganese, vitamin K, vitamin D and magnesium. These trace elements are important and many of us are not getting them from our regular food consumption patterns. For instance, the Journal of Nutritional Medicine reports between 80 to 85 per cent of Americans consume a magnesium-deficient diet!

The good news is that if many of us with diet deficiencies which may have impacted our bone health, can improve our situation with a few lifestyle adjustments. Medical evidence supports an improvement in bone density where people make lifestyle changes to incorporate weight bearing exercise, a diet more rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, complemented with high quality nutritional supplements.

Why wait until you bones start breaking before you think about ensuring a healthy skeletal system?

(c) Kim Beardsmore

Every year I vow to make Christmas easier, simpler - less stressful.

Have I ever? One year I tried forgetting Christmas here in the UK and spent it in the Canary Islands. It was quite extraordinary really. Christmas day was spent around the pool. The staff brought round ‘Christmas’ cake at various intervals (not the fruit stuff but madeira cake) and Santa Claus arrived on the beach by parachute. The hotel was full of people trying to get away from the stress of the season. All regretted leaving families but felt the need to just ‘get away’. The guy in the next room spent every Christmas away from his wife and family. His wife, children and grandchildren loved to do the whole British Christmas experience - he just wanted time to chill out and spent a good deal of his time alone. He didn’t feel this was extraordinary at all!

One thing that did strike me was the friendliness and service from the hotel staff. How much holiday did they get? - they all seemed to be working so hard. I asked the receptionist. He explained that they had no concept of a long Christmas holiday. In fact the only time they did not work was Christmas Eve when they were given 24 hours leave from that afternoon to attend Christmas Mass with family and then to eat a celebratory meal with family and friends. No presents were exchanged - this happened on the Feast of the Epiphany 6 January when traditionally the wise men had brought their gifts to Jesus - and even then the presents to each other were single and modest. On Christmas day all staff had returned to work by late afternoon - as did all workers throughout the island.

There was a lot to think about as we picked up our champagne at breakfast and then spent the day smothered in sun cream, snoozing in the sun.

I still love Christmas and the Christian celebrations which remind us of its true meaning. It’s the shopping that gets me down. And to be quite honest I hadn’t managed to avoid this - I just had to be more organised and distribute presents to friends and family well in advance of travelling to warmer climes. I suppose the problem is I like giving presents to people - although I spend a good deal of time worrying about their appropriateness. So - I don’t have a formula for present giving but I do try to cut down on spending without appearing to be scrooge, I try to support charities with what I buy, I try to simplify the shopping process, I try to begin the process early. And all you can do is try!

Am I correct in thinking that Christmas shopping still falls largely to the female of the species? Is it just women who begin worrying in February about buying for the children or grandchildren. Is it the female mind that sees something in June which would be ‘perfect’ for Aunt Mathilda at Christmas? The internet offers wonderful opportunities to ease the pressure on shopping and having moved from a bustling city to a small island last year where choice is very limited this is a growing activity, not to say obsession in our household.

But is this the way Christmas has to be for us?

www.femalematters.org

Although there are many skin care products to choose from if you fail to take proper care of your skin all the products in the world won?t give you a radiant complexion. When it comes to a glowing complexion what we put into our bodies and how we treat our skin and ourselves has a huge impact on how we look ? no skin care product can overcome certain damage. Here are a few hints to take the best care of your skin and get that radiant glow.

1. Eat a balanced diet ? what we put in our bodies will show on our skin. If you eat fatty foods and junk your skin will reflect that, so give your skin proper nutrition.
2. Get at least 7 to 8 hours sleep every night. A lack of sleep will show up under your eyes as dark circles or bags. Proper rest will also benefit your body and your life.
3. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water a day to keep your skin hydrated. It is best to spread the consumption of water in small amounts over the course of the day to be sure it is properly absorbed.
4. Maintain a regular exercise schedule. Exercise gets the blood moving and creates a healthy body.
5. Get lots of fresh air but avoid prolonged exposure to wind and cold.
6. Avoid the sun and tanning beds. The damage done by ultraviolet rays is long lasting and cannot be reversed.
7. Always wear sunglasses to avoid squinting.
8. Try to achieve a well-balanced life and reduce stress.
9. Exfoliate twice a week to rid your skin of dead cells.
10. Develop a skin care routine for your particular skin type.

If you have been neglecting your complexion start right away to improve it ? it?s never too late. What you do today will show up in your skin in the future. It?s all up to you.