Exercise and Osteoporosis

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Bones, like muscles and other parts of the body, suffer if they are not used. They need regular weight-bearing exercise that exerts a loading impact and stretches and contracts the muscles, stimulating bone to strengthen. It is easy to assume that nothing is happening in your bones when you exercise because your bones are not visible. When you exercise a muscle, you can see it develop over time. When you walk briskly for a sustained period at regular intervals, you improve heart and lung capacity, which you notice in a very short time. While you cannot observe what weight-bearing and resistance exercises are doing to your bones, something very important is happening.

The skeletal system is no different from other systems in the body-it adjusts to physical activity and also to a lack of it. Your bones respond to increased load (pressure on the bone) by increasing in mass to spread the load over a larger amount of bone or, at the very least, respond by retarding bone loss. The reverse is also true: your bones respond to decreased load by decreasing in bone mass.

To ensure you are getting the most out of your training sessions at the gym, it is imperative you know how to exercise safely, correctly and with maximum benefits, this is where The Bodydoctor Fitness & Nutrition programme will help, showing you the correct way to train.

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In support of this, studies with people who are bedridden and with astronauts in space (where there is no gravitational pull) have shown that people lose bone mass very quickly when they are not supporting the weight of their bodies. Conversely, studies of the racket arms of tennis players show a much higher bone mass than the non-racket arm, because the former encounters much more resistance.

There have also been numerous studies with different groups, including osteoporotic women and residents of homes for the aged, that show that weight-bearing and resistance exercises not only prevent bone loss but may also increase bone mass.

The Best Kind of Physical Activity

The best types of exercise for increasing bone mass and reducing the rate of age-related bone loss are weight-bearing activities or Resistance exercises

Resistance exercise - is a type of exercise that is of great benefit to the bones. Resistance exercise involves moving objects or your own body weight to create resistance. A common form of resistance exercise is weight training, done with barbells or dumbbells and/or various apparatus available at gymnasiums and fitness centres. In addition to their effect on bone mass, muscular strengthening exercises will increase your co-ordination and balance, reducing the risk of falls and help to increase or maintain muscle mass, providing added protection if you should fall.

Weight-bearing activities - are those that require you to support your entire body weight. Walking, running, dancing, and games and sports such as badminton, bowling, tennis, basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. are all examples of weight-bearing exercises. Walking is probably the most frequently recommended weight-bearing activity; it requires no special skills or equipment and can be done almost anywhere by just about anyone, regardless of age. To ensure you are getting the most out of your training sessions at the gym, it is imperative you know how to exercise safely, correctly and with maximum benefits, this is where The Bodydoctor Fitness & Nutrition programme will help, showing you the correct way to train.