Q. How do you know if you are doing enough to prevent bone lossand stay healthy? I'm in my late 40s with a safe Body Mass Index(22.3). I do a combo of free weights, machines and core exercises for45 minutes, two days a week, and do weight-bearing aerobic exercisefor 35-plus minutes five days a week. If I maintain this for the restof my life will this do the trick?
A. Physical activities involving explosive moves and resistanceare the most important factor in maintaining bone density. Walking,jogging, dancing, kickboxing, gardening and snowshoeing are all good,but the single most effective way to maintain bone health is throughweight lifting. According to Tufts University Professor and author,Miriam Nelson, 'We found that women who did resistance training twicea week for one year actually gained bone density versus a controlgroup who did no resistance training and lost bone density.'
Taking calcium supplements and light exercise is not enough,either.
Leading tissue researcher, Kenneth McLeod, chair of theBioengineering Department at Binghamton University (N.Y.), found thatjust taking calcium and doing some walking will not make new bone.'There has to be a signal to make bone, and it turns out that if youdon't have adequate fluid flow across your bone, you're not going tohave adequate cell metabolism to trigger cell formation,' statesMcLeod.
When lifting weights, learn proper form and start with easyweights that you can do two sets of 12-15 repetitions with beforetiring. This will give your connective tissue (especially around yourjoints) a chance to adapt to your new activity.
By using a scale of 1 to 5 (with '1' being equivalent to lifting abanana and '5' like lifting a giant box of kitty litter), strive toget to level '4' where two sets of eight repetitions is all you cando (and still maintain proper form.)
If you already have osteoporosis, increase your weights slowly.Cans of soup and bags of beans are convenient but are not designedfor the task. Dumbbells are often available and inexpensive at majorretail outlets and sporting goods stores.
You may want to ask your physician whether you need to have abaseline bone density test just to see where you are. Other factorscan affect your bones regardless of activity level and healthy eatinghabits, (such as medication, celiac disease, genetic factors andhormonal changes, to name a few).
I highly recommend Miriam Nelson's book, 'Strong Women, StrongBones' (Perigee, $13.95) to teach you more about diet and exercise.This book offers readers a further understanding of osteoporosis andprovides ideas on how to fight it. Her Web site is http://www.strongwomen.com.
Linda Buch is a certified personal trainer and co-author of 'TheCommercial Break Workout.' She will answer fitness questions in hercolumn but not individually. Send questions to Body Language, BayArea Living, 4770 Willow Road, Pleasanton, CA 94588 or e-mail her atlinda@ljbalance.com.
