Regular
weight-bearing exercise helps build up bone mass in young
people
and helps maintain your bone strength during adulthood.
The
great thing is, it is never too late to start exercising, and with the right
program
your bones will thank you!
For those who already exercise, it is important
that your program includes exercises that are important for bone health.
It is very easy to adjust your program to include ‘osteogenic’ (or bonebuilding)
exercises:
Here are some pointers:
• People
with medical conditions or those who have not been exercising
regularly
should consult a doctor before starting any exercise program.
•
Weight-bearing exercises that are moderate to high impact and
weight
training are the key osteogenic exercises. Therefore,
activities
that involve lifting weights, running, sprinting, jumping
and
skipping are ideal. In contrast, low impact activities, like
swimming
and cycling, are beneficial for cardiovascular health and
weight
control but will not promote bone formation.
Good
bone building activities include:
•
strength training or resistance-training programs
•
jogging/running
•
jumping
•
dancing
• tennis
•
volleyball
• brisk
or power walking
• Ease
into your new exercise program slowly, and progress
gradually
with supervision from a qualified exercise specialist.
•
Physical activities that are short in duration but high in intensity
will
tend to build bone most efficiently (i.e., short sprints rather
than a
long, slow jog).
• Two
short exercise sessions separated by eight hours are better
than one
long one.
• For
bone health, if exercise time needs to be reduced, it is better
to
reduce the length of each session rather than the number of
sessions
per week.
• In
older adults and the elderly exercise that improves posture and
balance
will help prevent falls and reduce the likelihood of suffering a
bone
fracture. The best approach here is to improve muscle strength and
undertake
specific balance and co-ordination exercises.
•
Maintain a balanced, healthy diet and lifestyle. Ensure your
calcium
and vitamin D intake is sufficient, as both are required for
building
and maintaining bone mass. Avoid smoking and excessive
alcohol
intake as this can contribute to bone loss.
Improving your
lifestyle factors (i.e. exercise and diet) alone cannot prevent
osteoporosis;
for some individuals medications may be required to
keep
bone loss in check.
When
considering bone health, it is actually possible to exercise
too
much, so your program should be tailored to suit your
individual
needs.
Consider these important facts:
• Women
and teenage girls who exercise to an extreme degree can
develop
amenorrhea (cessation of menstruation) due to oestrogen
deficiency.
Oestrogen deficiency in younger women contributes to
bone
loss, in much the same way that oestrogen deficiency after
menopause
does.
•
Preoccupation with excessive exercise may go hand in hand with
eating
disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia. The loss of essential
nutrients
associated with these disorders has a harmful effect on
bone,
and in anorexics, extreme body thinness often results in
amenorrhea.
• Both
male and female athletes who undertake excessive exercise without
adequate
caloric intake are at heightened risk of osteoporosis. Athletes
who
train hard while trying to keep their weight below a certain level for
competitive
reasons are at particularly high risk.
•
Excessive exercise can result in stress fractures or joint damage.
• The
elderly and those who already have osteoporosis can put
themselves
at risk of fracturing if they suddenly begin a strenuous
that might
increase the likelihood of falling.
Happy Healthy Body Training
We are constantly fed by media about celebrities diets
and training for the perfect body, but is that really the focus we should have?
I admit I don’t mind having a fit body that looks athletic but most of all I
want my body to be healthy.
