|
You know your heart, lungs, and muscles all need regular exercise to stay healthy and fit. But did you know that’s just as true for your bones, too? Whether you’re already facing bone-density problems like osteoporosis or osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis), or trying to make sure you don’t have these problems later on, regular exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your bones. But not just any old workout boasts bone benefits. The best exercise for building bone density and strength follows the LIVE approach: L is for Load-bearing. Weight-bearing exercise that requires your muscles to work against gravity by moving your own weight (or added weight) up and down has the most bone-building benefits. I is for Intensity. The more weight you move, and the more vigorously you move it, the more that exercise will strengthen your bones. V is for Variety. Exercises that involve as many different muscles in many different functional movement patterns are best. E is for Enjoyable. Let’s face it. If you don’t like your exercises, you’re not likely to do them as much as you need to for best results. While that may sound simple, right now you’re probably asking yourself, "But how do I put these principles into action? How much load, intensity and variety do I really need? What kinds of exercises should I do or not do?" Or for some of you who already have osteoporosis, "How do I know when I’m pushing myself hard enough to do some good without causing further damage?” In order to pick the exercises that will work best for you and your particular concerns, you need to understand how exercise actually affects your bones. If you’ve never had the chance to look at bone under a microscope, you might imagine that bones resemble the lumber that holds up the walls and floor of your house. But in reality, your bones are very active biologically (like your muscles and organs), and they respond to exercise pretty much the same way your muscles and cardiovascular system do. The more stress you put on your bones, the stronger they will get—just as your muscles respond to lifting weights by getting stronger, and your heart and lungs respond to cardio by becoming stronger and more efficient. Like everything else in your body, your bones are made up of cells that are constantly dying and being replaced. Some of these cells, called osteoblasts, are bone-building cells whose job it is to replace lost bone, and make sure your bones are strong enough to meet the regular demands you put on them. Osteoblasts are activated and stimulated when your muscles pull on them to produce movement. To make a long story short, the more stress you put your bones under with load-bearing movement, the more active your osteoblasts are, and the denser and stronger your bones become. If you don’t stimulate your osteoblasts to keep adding new bone material, your bones slowly lose density and eventually may become porous and susceptible to injury from relatively minor stresses. Continued › |
|
SparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
Fitness Articles › Special ConcernsExercising to Build Strong BonesUse the LIVE Approach-- By Dean Anderson, Fitness & Behavior ExpertSparkPeople advertisers help keep the site free! Learn more
Related Content
Stay in Touch With SparkPeople
About The Author
Dean Anderson
Dean Anderson has master's degrees in human services (behavioral psychology/stress management) and liberal studies. His interest in healthy living began at the age of 50 when he confronted his own morbid obesity and health issues. He joined SparkPeople and lost 150 pounds and regained his health. Dean has earned a personal training certification from ACE and received training as a lifestyle and weight management consultant. See all of Dean's articles. |
Get gardening in a flash with tips on how to grow these simple veggies.
Read More
Leg Extensions with Band
Click on the picture to the left to find out more, and see an exercise demo
Click on the picture to the left to find out more, and see an exercise demo
Get a personalized diet and fitness plan, great newsletters, post to our message boards, and even your own personal SparkPage!
Join Now For Free!
Join Now For Free!
Member Comments
. They sell a large variety of herbs and herbal products. My naturopath/chirop
ractor recommended the site to me and she tests everything on herself before she will recommend anything to her patients. - 4/10/2012 10:26:30 AM
So, find out if any of your medications have any effect on bone density, and check with your doctor to see if you need to take calcium supplements.
I switched from using the elliptical machine at the gym to working out with the Walk Away the Pounds videos from Leslie Sansone. The more advanced ones feature a bigger range of motion and light weights for strength training. The elliptical machine only provides a forward and backward motion, while the videos offer knee lifts, kick backs, side steps, etc. I also burn more calories with the videos than I did with the elliptical machine, even though I used a resistance program on it. - 8/25/2011 1:00:31 PM
ce and while I try to get calcium any way I can, this article reminds me that there are additional things I can do to protect my bones. I don't run as much as I used to due to recent Plantar Fasciitis problems, and this article reminds me that I need to make more of an effort to find a way to do load bearing exercises. - 8/25/2011 11:30:43 AM
Terrific article. I think Dean's articles are the best on Spark! - 7/7/2011 7:06:16 PM
k you, thank you, thank you for this article! - 6/22/2011 9:38:20 PM
You can find more info here:
http://www.webm
d.com/osteopo
rosis/default.htm
- 8/7/2010 8:59:07 AM
I really liked the information about bones being made up of living cells that are constantly being replaced and the more exercise we do, the more active and stronger these new cells become. I'll remind myself of that during my strength training tomorrow morning with a sore body! - 3/17/2010 11:08:43 PM