Meet Mary Kay Kendall and be inspired just as we are. Mary Kay is a dedicated student who comes to class 4-5 times a week. Her form is stellar and her hard-work is FIERCE.
Mary Kay is an amazing part of our community who not only uses Bar Method to stay fit and de-stress, but she has been taking to build bones. Yes, you read that right- build bones. It turns out that Mary Kay has osteoporosis and since she has been taking Bar Method, she has increased her bone density- AMAZING! Mary Kay, THANK YOU for your Bar Method passion! You are a role model for us all. Read her testimony below. Hopefully, you’ll learn from her as much as we did!
“I came to BAR for a very specific reason… I was a statistic- 1 in 2 women post 50 years of age with low bone mass at risk for fracture, in serious need of Bone Building activity. Being post 50… BAR isn’t about how I look; it’s about how I feel… AND how my health related numbers correlated with aging disease (not fun to thing to talk about but a reality) improve!
The Disease I’m talking about is Osteoporosis… yes, for ANY structural degenerating condition (scoliosis, etc)… BAR METHOD totally ROCKS!
While it isn’t the most hip thing to be speaking about in a studio of incredibly cool young ladies, bar none (a perceived “old ladies disease”), I feel compelled to speak about it since we all have Grandmothers, Moms, Aunts, Friends that we have seen the quality of their lives diminish via stooped over humps in their backs, hip & spine fractures, etc. that ultimately lead to demise!
This is a quality of life issue that we can impact change in the early years of our lives via Bone Building Activity… BAR METHOD!
BAR is about improving focus, balance, flexibility, and bone mass above all else…
Of course I’ve enjoyed the exterior results of looking like the hottest Aunt in a bikini (designation from my nieces), seriously the greatest results of BAR for me have been those that aren’t visible to the eye, but I totally love that my nieces think I’m “hot!”
BAR has kept me sane through difficult periods of my life, BAR gives me the few moments I need in a day to totally let go and focus on me, BAR opens me up to possibilities of what I can become, BAR challenges me to be give the few extra inches to get stronger and give more in my life… basically be a healthier me as an offering to my family, my customers, my friends and my community at large!
Being post 50, I had a screening DXA exam to evaluate my bone mass a year ago and was stunned that in spite of my always being active/”healthy”, I was diagnosed as Osteopenic (low bone mass)… which could ultimately lead to a debilitating fracture. When I thought about it, my Mom and Grandmother had suffered hip fractures and had Osteoporosis although never diagnosed. No one talked about it, but the quality of their lives diminished, they never regained the vitality they had pre-fracture. Scary thought… Osteopenic was a wakeup call for me… one designation short of full blown Osteoporosis. Osteoporosis undiagnosed and treated leads to diminished quality of life and ultimately a painful death, yikes!
I did a lot of self education and learned that the time to really build bone mass is up through age 20’s when peak bone mass is formulated … wish I had known then! BAR is Bone Building Activity! Refusing to feel totally defeated at this stage of my life, I found BAR.
There is some good news to this story, and the silver lining is that a year ago I was diagnosed as Osteopenic (low bone mass), but today I’m within NORMAL range, and the reason for this is BAR… 4-5 days a week, whatever I’m able to manage… it WORKS!
Now I’m going to throw out there some hard hitting facts:
1) 1 in 2 women post 50 are at risk for an osteoporosis-related fracture
2) After around age 30 bone mass starts diminishing
3) Hip and spine fractures set off a downward spiral of events that negatively impact quality of life
4) Of the women who are ambulatory before a fracture, 50% will never be able to walk again without assistance
5) 1 in 5 of these women will require long-term care
Bone Building BAR exercises assist in ceasing bone loss before it leads to fracture! It’s never too late OR too early to initiate activities that aid in osteoporosis prevention! Bone Building activity can improve bone density roughly 1% per year!
On the month of my 54th Birthday, I’m so honored to be the BAR Star of MDR BAR Studio. Every single class I’ve taken the stellar instructors have been so keenly tuned into the needs of our entire class, no matter how large… they will catch us when our minds periodically wander and get us right back on track … focus, yeah! They want more for us because they know we all want to be more… maybe it’s about reducing a muffin top, maybe its acquiring a few more inches of flexibility, maybe it’s about learning how to have the discipline to push though for whatever reason… BAR gives us the tools we need to deal, majorly!
To all my wonderful BAR Method Instructors I remain perpetually grateful for the extra inches of flexibility, improved balance, greater mental focus and strengthened bones that will carry me into the many years of health filled days ahead of me!”
For further info: http://www.nof.org/
