Bone Health Exercise

As teachers, we’re on our feet all day, but that’s not enough to ensure bone health.  Here are some ideas for preventing osteoporosis with exercise:

·         Spend time on balance and co-ordination.  This prevents falling, which can cause bone breakage.  Try standing on one foot while you do the dishes or wait on line.

·         Lift weights.  Slow lifting is the key.  If you are lifting weights, doing strength training, be sure to rest one or two days between sessions.  This helps rebuild bones.

·         It is a good idea to change off from one type of exercise to another every few weeks (eg, dance, steps, cycling).

·         Do an exercise for about 2 weeks. Then stop doing it for 2 weeks. Why?  Osteoblasts respond to new and additional bone stress.

·         Walking a mile or more a day can add about 1% to your total bone mass each year. This is just enough to off set the annual loss of 1% of bone experienced by most persons over the age of 35 each year (Note: Women often lose from 3 - 5% of bone in the years at the end of menopause.) 

·         Add a weight vest!  You can buy one or use 1-lb sand bags, and add 1 per 2-weeks to a backpack, up to 10 lbs. 

·         Get a pedometer and add steps daily. 

·         Buy a good pair of walking shoes.

Good, but do with care:

•      Jumping jacks, walking down stairs, tap-dancing, take 'baby steps' jogging, race walking.  All these add extra stress on bones, which is good for creating new bone mass.

Avoid:

·         Running, jogging, jumping rope, high impact aerobics, football, soccer, hockey, “jumping down hard” etc.  These can cause bone fracture.

·         Toe touching, bending over when weightlifting, bending forward at the waist. Spontaneous crush fractures of the spine can occur when coming back up from this position.  No one should ever bend over to lift weights, ever.  Bend at the knees instead.

Weight Vests:

·         Infinity Vest - Classroom-friendly and stylish

·         Hyper Vest Pro - Stylish, with adjustable weights

Lifestyle:

·        Lower stress, 15 minutes of sunlight daily (makes Vitamin D), good posture, fresh air at night, deep breathing.

Please note:  I am not a doctor!  I am simply sharing some of my research.  I hope it will spark your quest for your own best health.

As always, I wish you the very best of health.

Osteoporosis 101
Bone Health Food
Bone Health - A Weight Vest for Teachers