Boost Your Bone Health: the Role of Exercise Revealed

The theme for this week …

Exercise is essential for more than just our cardio-respiratory health. Our skeletal structure needs exercise too! Read on …

Bone health is dependent upon physical activity

Recent research highlights various relationships between activity and bone health depending upon age, and/or type of activity.

Some of this information seems intuitive so it’s nice to have the data. It’s fascinating to see the trend of when we build and lose bone, by age! Kids need to be outdoors building bones through the adolescent years.

If you work with a professional for strength training, take a look at the study related to resistance training and make some adjustments to your program. There were definite thresholds for impacting bones!

• Physical activity, not sedentary time, influences bone strength in late adolescence (2018). Researchers conducted a systematic review of studies examining the relationship between physical activity and bone health in adolescents. They found that higher levels of physical activity were associated with greater bone mineral density and improved bone health markers.
• Exercise and bone health across the lifespan (2018). This review article provides an overview of the effects of exercise on bone health throughout different stages of life, highlighting the positive impact of exercise on bone mineral density, bone strength, and fracture prevention.
• Effects of resistance exercise on bone health (2018). This study examines the effects of resistance exercise (such as weightlifting) on bone health. It suggests that resistance exercise stimulates bone formation, increases bone mineral density, and helps prevent age-related bone loss.
• The effect of aquatic exercise on bone mineral density in older adults. A systematic review and meta-analysis (2023) Researchers reviewed the effectiveness of popular low-impact water-based exercise options for effects upon bone health. They found there to be a positive benefit for bones, as well as cardiovascular health.

Insight of the week from Cara

Why did I become interested in bone health and exercise?

At a certain point in life we begin to realize we are, for better or worse, a reflection of our respective gene pools.

The realization that my mother shrank significantly in her early 50’s, had me eager to figure what could be done for prevention. (Statistically women lose the greatest % of bone density in the first five years post-menopause.)

Bone health became the driving motivation which took me down a unique path of exercise and balance training, eventually leading to what today is the Bridging® Technique.

To appropriately research the effectiveness of exercise upon bone integrity I learned there is much more to bone health than a DXA score.

Here are some of tidbits you’ll find interesting:

• Youth activity is what builds the bone you are currently trying to protect. Our kids need activity to build their bones for their later years!
• Bone integrity is more than density — there is both the structure and the density. You can have airy bones that are quite strong. Currently, there is no testing that determines this.
• Rebuilding bone is tough. Maintaining what you have becomes the real objective. (Most pharmaceuticals maintain bone even though the marketing provides a perception that they rebuild it.)
• Impact and resistance training are good! Bone grows by being stimulated, both in kids and adults.

Exercise is so critical to both building and maintaining bone health

These four primary micromovement disrupters are what we find side-lining you. Recognize any of them from your (or your children’s) past?

• Injury
• Illness
• Medical procedures (surgeries, etc)
• and, birth events/early life traumas

Quickly returning you to your active life is what Bridging® does. When you’re ready, we’re here to help.

Stay safe out there this holiday weekend!