The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the cool breeze is blowing and what a great day to take a walk! Shake off those winter woolies and don a pair of sneakers—Spring is finally here, and there is no better way to welcome her than to meet her outside. Spring is a time for renewal; renew your lawn, renew your shoes, renew your bones. That’s right, Spring is a time to renew your bones. By now everyone knows that being physically active is essential for a healthy weight, but how many people know that your bones need it too?
For many people, healthy bones fall into that category of things to deal with "when the time comes." In fact, we rarely even think about our bones—until we break one. Clearly, by waiting until orthopedic problems occur (usually in the later seasons of life), we severely limit our options for improvement. This first part of a two-part series will focus on maximizing the health of your skeleton. Let’s begin by discussing what bone is and what bone needs to stay strong.
Bone Basics
We tend to think of our bones as unchanging because they are hard. However, bones do change in response to a number of things, such as exercise, nutritional status, and injury. Just like our other tissues, our bone tissue constantly renews and repairs itself.
Bone is made of a protein called collagen, which is arranged in a mesh or matrix. Minerals in our bodies, in the form of salts (such as calcium phosphate, magnesium, sodium, and potassium salts) are incorporated into the matrix and make it hard. Calcium is the major mineral in our bones, and bones serve as the body’s calcium "reservoir." In fact, over 99 percent of the body’s calcium is located in the skeleton and teeth.
The density of our bones is affected by age, heredity, sex hormones, physical activity, diet, lifestyle choices, and some medications. In women, 99 percent of total bone mineral content has been deposited by the time the early twenties hit. Bone density slowly builds until around age 30 at which point bone formation and bone breakdown are balanced. After menopause, however, bone loss exceeds bone formation leading to an overall decline in bone density. Men don’t experience this decrease as early, but some men may show decreased bone density by age 50. By age 65 or 70, men and women lose bone mass at similar rates. Once bone is lost, it cannot be completely replaced.
Osteoporosis: Knowing the Risk Factors
Osteoporosis is a bone-weakening disease that develops slowly—often without any symptoms—and makes bones so brittle that they break or fracture under normal use. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 million Americans already have osteoporosis, and 18 million more have low bone mass, which places them at increased risk for this disease.
Many people don’t even realize they have the disease until they are older. However osteoporosis can occur in younger people as well, as a result of a failure to maximize bone mass during childhood and adolescence. The risk factors for osteoporosis include:
- Gender: women are 4 times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis because they naturally have less bone mass, and they tend to lose bone tissue earlier than men.
- Race: Caucasians and Asians are at higher risk than African-Americans and Hispanics.
- Age: the older you are, the more likely you are to have lost bone mass, and after middle age, nearly everyone begins to lose bone mass.
- Smoking.
- Heavy alcohol use.
- Hormone levels: low estrogen or testosterone levels accelerate bone loss.
- Low body weight: underweight people tend to have lower bone mass.
- Family history of osteoporosis.
- Chronic low calcium and vitamin D intake.
- Inactivity: lack of regular exercise (especially weight-bearing exercise such as walking and lifting weights) increases the risk of bone loss.
Exercise For Strong Bones
For the first part of this two-part series, we will focus on the importance of physical activity on bone health. You might think that weight-bearing activities like running and jumping might weaken bones through wear and tear. As it turns out, the opposite is true. Not only is exercise helpful in building bones but it prevents bone breakdown too! Achieving peak bone mass (the earlier the better) is the best defense we have against developing osteoporosis. Here are some helpful hints to get you thinking more about physical activity and healthy bones:
Don’t Sit Down, Move Around!
Weight-bearing activities such as weight training, walking, running, aerobic dancing, tennis, and gymnastics all help to strengthen bones. Even stretching helps build a strong skeleton because the muscles stress the bone by pulling on them. Research shows that even an hour of physical activity a week can increase bone mass. If you’re a beginner, start small with a brisk walk, jog, or bike around the block and gradually increase the amount of time or number of days that you engage in physical activity.
Make Exercise a Family Affair:
Creating healthful habits early on is key to developing and maintaining good health throughout our lives. Whether encouraging children to become involved in organized sports or leading family walks, parents are instrumental in making family fitness a priority and showing children that it can be above all—FUN!
Mix it Up to Keep Moving:
The more you move, the happier your bones will be. Bring a friend along or get a pedometer to record your steps when walking or running. Some experts suggest taking 10,000 steps per day for good health. Plan different activities the week before and mix up your routine to make it more interesting. (Warning: Weight is likely to decrease, stress and tension may lessen, and individual may experience periods of elation when exposed to regular exercise).
Don’t Stop Because of Your Age:
Research indicates that exercise during the later years, along with adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, helps slow the decline in bone mass. It also contributes to strength and increased muscle mass as well as improves coordination, which may help prevent falls or accidents that could lead to fractures. Seek out a weight-lifting group, fitness class, or walk with a friend.
Don’t Start Smoking or Try to Quit if You Already Smoke:
Research shows that cigarette smoking can have a negative effect on achieving optimal bone mass. This is just one more reason to never start smoking in the first place and to quit if you already smoke.
Get a Bone Scan Test:
If you are in your 30’s or 40’s and think you are at risk for developing weakened bones, ask your doctor for a bone scan, if he or she hasn’t already suggested it. This applies to both men and women. Quick and painless, a scan will let you and your doctor know what shape your bones are in right now, giving you more time to make improvements, should any be necessary.
If You Have Already Been Diagnosed With Osteoporosis:
You can still exercise and improve the strength of your bones. Physical activity is important for individuals with osteoporosis, but the purpose should be to improve flexibility. Excessive or sudden strain on the bones should be avoided. If your doctor has already prescribed osteoporosis medications—take them regularly—it can make a world of difference.
Tune in to the next Food Insight edition for a discussion on eating for stronger bones.
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