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Estrogen Matters is a non profit global women’s health initiative
to provide medical perspective about menstrual health the menopause transition
and post-menopause health, welcome!  Exercise helps renew bone at age 60,70 and 80 Exercise combined with a daily calcium supplement (600 mg plus 400 IU vitamin D) a daily 500 mg vitamin C supplement and a healthful antioxidant rich diet effectively helps prevent and manage osteoporosis. Keep in mind, it is the combination of exercise, calcium, vitamin C and a diet rich in pH balancing fruit and vegetables that work in synergy to maintain bone integrity (prevent bone loss). Vitamin K-1 and K-2 are also important for enhancing bone tissue. Studies indicate that strength training three times a week increases bone mineral density in the hip and spine, preserves total body bone mineral density and increases muscle mass, muscle strength and balance. Stress is the force put on bones. Strain is the amount bone deforms when stress is applied.
Exercise is essential for osteoporosis treatment and prevention because it places stress on bones which results in increased bone mass. This is especially true for weight bearing and resistance (weight training) types of exercise. Exercise bathes bone cells with signals and stimulus to renew and strengthen bone.
Weight bearing exercises refer to activities where the weight of the body is transmitted through the bones, working against gravity. The bones respond to this force by growing stronger. Walking, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, yoga, jogging, dancing, hiking, stair climbing, and aerobic exercise are examples of weight bearing exercises. These types of exercise work directly on the bones of the legs, hips and lower spine to slow mineral loss. Bike riding and swimming are healthful but are not weight bearing.
Resistance exercises or weight training generates muscle tension on the bones. This strengthens the muscles and stimulates the bones to grow stronger. Strength training includes the use of free weights, weight machines, resistance bands or water exercises to strengthen the muscles and bones in your arms and upper spine. Compression fractures resulting from osteoporosis often lead to a stooped posture and increase pressure along your spine, resulting in even more compression fractures. Exercises (yoga & pilates) that gently stretch your upper back, improve your posture and focus on strengthening the muscles between your shoulder blades can all help to reduce harmful stress on your bones and maintain bone density. Just as muscles get stronger with regular exercise, so do bones. Active women have higher bone density than women who do not exercise. In addition to maintaining bone health, weight bearing exercise three or more times per week contributes to cardiovascular wellness.
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 A Comforting Yet Personal Thought Small 3 pound weights provide enough stress and strain on women’s bones to send signals for bone to renew. During age fifty, sixty, seventy or eighty using small three pounds weights at home provides women more opportunity to exercise. A half hour each day (or every other day) will provide health benefits. For women in their seventies and eighties yoga and Tai Chi movements provide bone renewing exercise with less risk of injury. Yoga and Tai Chi enhance balance at any age. A protein building whey or soy milk shake renews muscle tissue after a health enhancing workout. A shake or smoothie made with enriched soy milk will also add 400/500 mg of calcium and 400/500 mg of potassium. 
Exercise Strengthens the Heart
During exercise the volume of blood flowing to the heart increases. The greater volume of blood stretches the muscle, and the muscle fibers respond with a stronger, more powerful contraction. The heart's muscle bulk increases and its blood vessels proliferate which improves the muscle's blood supply. Over time, the heart becomes more efficient and pumps a greater volume of blood with each stroke, allowing the heart rate to slow down. To learn how to Nurture
Women’s Heart Health Naturally Visit www.For Her Heart.org
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In the year 2010, 26 million women
50 years of age or older will have low bone mass of the hip and 9.1 million women
50 years of age or older will have osteoporosis. Source:
Bone Health and Osteoporosis:
A Report of the Surgeon General.
U.S. Dept.of Health & Human Services, 2004. |
To learn how nutrition can significantly
prevent and manage osteoporosis click here |
Mechanical stress and gravity acting on the skelton such as walking and Tai Chi, help maintain skeletal strength.
Bones thicken, develop heavier prominences or rearrange their inside tissue (trabeculae)
in sites where they are stressed. With exercise, the muscles throughout the body develop extra blood vessels and become more efficient at taking in oxygen and nutrients from the blood. | | 
An Interesting Study About Exercise and Postmenopausal Women The Bone, Estrogen, Strength Training (BEST) study, lead by Timothy G. Lohman, PhD, of the University of Arizona College of Medicine confirms that exercise and calcium supplementation improve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women. The object of this study was to examine the effect of regular progressive strength training (resistance exercise) at three key fracture sites: wrist, hip and spine.
167 early postmenopausal women, with an average age 56 participated in this four year study. 54% of the women were receiving hormone replacement in the study. All the women received a daily calcium supplement. Average four year total calcium intake was about 1,635 mg/day, and supplemental calcium intake was about 700 mg/day.
Exercise sessions consisted of three days a week, about an hour per session. Sessions were overseen by a trainer and were composed of leg press, military press, seated row, squats, back extension and lateral pull down. Participants did two sets of six to eight repetitions and about ten minutes of cardiovascular weight bearing activity for each session.
Exercise frequency was positively and significantly related to changes in femur trochanter and neck (hip), lumber spine and total body bone mineral density. Women who attended the most exercise sessions showed the largest gains in bone mineral density.
Mean total daily calcium was positively and significantly associated with change in bone mineral density at the femur trochanter and neck (hip) and for the total body for women not using hormone replacement. Intake of at least 1,700 mg/day of calcium was protective of bone mineral density among women who do not use hormone replacement.
The results of this study supports the long term benefits of strength training exercise (resistance exercise) and calcium supplementation for the prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women who use hormone replacement and women who do not use hormone replacement.
It will be beneficial to consult with a certified physical exercise trainer, to learn how to correctly do the above mentioned exercises for the maximum osteoprotective effect.
Source:
The Bone, Estrogen, Strength Training (BEST) study
Timothy G. Lohman, PhD
UA Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition,
University of Arizona College of Medicine
Osteoporosis International, December 2005 |
Movements to Avoid
Because of the varying degrees of osteoporosis and the risk of fracture, certain strength-training, aerobic and flexibility exercises may be unsuitable.
According to the Mayo Clinic if you have osteoporosis, it is best to avoid the following:
High-impact exercises, such as jumping, running or jogging. These activities increase compression in your spine and lower extremities and can lead to fractures in weakened bones. Avoid jerky, rapid movements in general. Try to move in a slow and controlled manner.
Exercises in which you bend forward and twist your waist, such as touching your toes, doing sit-ups or using a rowing machine. These movements also compress the bones in your spine. Other activities that may require you to bend or twist forcefully at the waist are golf, tennis, bowling and some yoga poses.
Before starting any exercise program for osteoporosis consult with your health care professional.
Source:
The Mayo Clinic: Tools for a Happier Life 2006
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| CardioE2 . . . For Her Heart, Inc is a nonprofit organization # 900000216 registered and based in Florida, USA. "Ownership and Rights. CardioE2 . . . For Her Heart Inc., is the parent of Estrogen Matters. CardioE2 shall own all and exclusive right, title, and interest in the work throughout the world, including copyrights, domain names, trademarks, and all other intellectual property rights in the work. The work shall be deemed to be a work-for-hire under the Copyright Act of 1976, Title 17 U.S.Code, and Ann Williams CardioE2 Inc., shall be deemed to be the author.” Information is provided for educational purposes to help individuals form an understanding of biological processes as they effect health. This information is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment. |
email EstrogenMatters@msn.com
website originated 2006, non profit originated January 2009, page updated January 2010
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