I think about Sin a lot. I’m not talking about biblical sins, cheating on your spouse, murder, lies – hey, those are in the Bible, right? I haven’t been to Sunday school in thirty years. I’m talking about your run of the mill bad habits that these days are considered sinful. Drinking too much wine. Guzzling caffeine. Eating French fries. Neglecting exercise.
Okay, those things aren’t technically sinful. But I know I shouldn’t do them. Three years ago, I got a dexa scan, which showed I had ostepenia, the precursor to osteoporosis. My doctor prescribed 1500 milligrams of calcium a day. She told me to cut out coffee, limit alcohol, do weight bearing exercise and eat healthy.
I have a stressful job that requires lots of travel. Do you have any idea how hard it is to eat healthy on the road, much less avoid wine at mind-numbing business dinners where the only salvation to the evening is a good buzz? Then, of course, the next morning, I’m exhausted from the late night entertaining, so I drink either coffee or everyone’s favorite industrial waste, Diet Coke. On top of that, I don’t stay on top of my calcium and truly, sincerely, do not have time to go the hotel gym as my days begin early and go straight through to night.
When I return home from these trips, I’m often on a health-kick binge fest, though I can’t seem to eliminate the caffeine, no doubt, because I am one of those people who wake up at 3:00am and ponder the previous day while fretting over the upcoming day – plus I throw in these memory games I play with myself to prove I don’t have early-onset Alzheimer’s, such as, “what was the name of that boy I dated for three months when I was in the 11th grade? It was during that phase where I had blackheads on my nose.”
If you play, you pay, the saying goes. Today I went in for another dexa scan. Over the course of the last week, I’ve avoided wine, I did an hour of weight-bearing cardio each day, plus yoga, and I took 1500 mgs of calcium, you know, because that would rebuild my bone density – wouldn’t it? But alas, I could not avoid my beloved Diet Coke, though I did compensate somewhat by drinking only half a can and also had green tea, which may have caffeine, but is supposed to be good for something else, I don’t know what. I can’t keep up with the prevention methods of all the disease I may have or may get.
I won’t know if my T score has gotten worse till Monday, maybe Tuesday. In the meantime, I’m googling Osteoporosis like a hypochondriac who just learned about a new life-threatening disease. So far tonight, I’ve google Osteoporosis and Ambien, Osteoporosis and Elliptical machines, Osteoporosis and yoga, Living with Osteoporosis, I’ve got Osteoporosis – now what?
Don’t hold me to this, but I may now be an expert on Osteoporosis. Or insanity.
