Nearly 10 mil Americans have osteoporosis, and another 34 million have low bone mass, (osteopenia). A disease with out symptoms, osteoporosis affects about 20 percent of men and 80 percent of women. The bones gradually become weaker, they may break in a minor fall or, if left untreated, even from something as simple as a sneeze.
The most frequent fracture sites include the hip, wrist and spine, although any bone in your body might be affected.
A diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis can be scary, leading lots of people to quit exercisse because of fear it’ll cause fractures.
The reality is that those with low bone mass should make sure to exercise on a regular basis.
Being active can not only help prevent osteoporosis, but slow bone loss once it has already begun. Before beginning a fitness program, it is important to check with your physician for guidelines, as level of bone loss determines what type of exercise is best. Physicians can assess bone density and fracture risk by scanning the body using a special type of X-ray machine.
As well as exercise, treatment may include dietary modifications and/or estrogen replacement therapy.
The more you know about this condition, the more you can do to help prevent its onset.
To build strength and bone mass, both weight-bearing and strength training exercises are ideal.
Weight-bearing workouts are those that require the bones to completely support your weight against gravity.
Examples are walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing or using an elliptical exercise machine.
Non-weight bearing exercises include biking, swimming, water aerobics and rowing.
Weight-bearing activities including walking less than 3 x a week will manage to benefit the bones.
Resistance training places mechanical force (stress) on our bodies, which increases density of bone.
Start by lifting light weights, moving in a slow and controlled manner, increasing resistance when you become stronger.
It’s highly recommended that people with osteoporosis avoid the following kinds of activity:
- Step aerobics and high-impact activities such as running, jumping, tennis.
- Activities that involve rounding, bending and twisting of the spine.
- Moving the legs sideways or across the body, especially when performed against resistance.
- Rowing machines, trampolines.
- Any kind of movement that involves pulling on the head and neck.
Exercise Tips:
- Even if you don’t have osteoporosis, it is best to talk with your medical provider before you start an exercising program.
- Be sure you warm up before beginning and cool down at the conclusion of each exercise session.
- To find the best benefit to your bone health, combine a number of different weight-bearing exercises.
- As you build strength, increase resistance, or weights, instead of repetitions.
- Make sure you drink a lot of water whenever exercising.
- Vary the types of exercise that you try each week.
- Combine weight bearing and resistance exercise with aerobic exercises to help you increase your general health.
- Bring your friend along to assist you continue or better yet, bring your family and encourage them to be healthy.
- Add more physical activity to your day; take the stairs vs. the elevator, park further way, and walk to your co-worker’s office as an alternative to emailing.
Put LIVE into action!
L – Load or weight-bearing exercises make a difference for your bones
I – Intensity builds stronger bones.
V – Vary the types of exercise and your routine to keep interested.
E – Enjoy your exercises. Make exercise fun so you will continue in the future!
Specific factors boost the probability of developing osteoporosis. While some of these risk factors are controllable, others won’t be. Risk factors that can be controlled are: Sedentary lifestyle, excess intake of protein, sodium, caffeine and/or alcohol, smoking, calcium and Vitamin D deficiencies and taking certain medicines.
Body size (small frame), gender, family history and ethnicity are risk factors that are not to be controlled. Women can lose nearly 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, making them more vunerable to osteoporosis.
It is never too soon to start considering bone mineral density. About 85-90 percent of adult bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and 20 in boys. Nutrition and Exercise for Healthy Bones when people are young and Adolescence. Much of the reserve of healthy bone is built in youth and before age 30. Women might be more vunerable to an inadequate foundation process at this time than men. Sufficient calcium intake,a balanced diet with a lot of fruit and veggies and load-bearing exercise are the secrets of solid bone growth when you’re young. Then, with continued exercise into old age –- and this goes for men as well — bone density decline could be kept to a minimum. Although women will be the main focus of data about osteoporosis and low bone density (osteopenia), some men are also seriously afflicted by this problem. In case you do all of the right things while maturing and into adulthood, your inherited characteristics – your genes – can present you with bones that are susceptible to osteoporosis. This is even greater reason to maximize your lifestyle to prevent poor bone health.
About the writer – Michelle Aultman writes for the elliptical workout for fat loss blog, her personal hobby blog dedicated to tips to prevent osteoporosis trough fitness at home.
Author’s note: The details provided on this post are designed to support, not change, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician.
Michelle Aultman has not business intent and does not accept direct source of advertising coming from health or pharmaceutical companies, doctors or clinics and websites.
All content provided by her is based on her editorial opinion and it’s not driven by an advertising and marketing purpose.