The Importance of Bone Health

1 in 3 women over 50 years-old will experience osteoporotic fractures, as will 1 in 5 men, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. 

In preparation for National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month in May, I wanted to highlight the importance of maintaining your bone health.

As you can imagine, your bones are critical – they provide structure for your body, protect your vital organs, and store calcium. 

Have you ever thought about the health of your bones?  You should.  Your actions today may reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

Did you know that your bones are continuously changing — new bone is made and old bone is broken down?  When you're young, your body makes new bone faster than it breaks down old bone, and your bone mass increases.  Research has shown that bone strength peaks between the ages of 20 and 30. This means that, after the age of 30, both men and women begin to lose bone mass unless they take action to prevent it.  Unfortunately, by the time we begin to think about our bones, we may have already suffered serious damage.

What can I do now to keep my bones healthy?

According to the Mayo Clinic, everyone can take a few simple steps to prevent or slow bone loss.  The Mayo Clinic recommends:

• Include plenty of calcium in your diet. For adults ages 19 - 50 and men ages 51 - 70, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day. The recommendation increases to 1,200 mg a day for women after age 50 and for men after age 70. Good sources of calcium include dairy products, almonds, broccoli, kale, salmon with bones, sardines and soy products, such as tofu. If you find it difficult to get enough calcium from your diet, ask your doctor about supplements.
• Pay attention to your Vitamin D intake. Your body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium. For adults ages 19 - 70, the RDA of vitamin D is 600 international units (IUs) a day. The recommendation increases to 800 IUs a day for adults age 71 and older. Good sources of Vitamin D include oily fish, such as tuna and sardines, egg yolks and fortified milk. Sunlight also contributes to the body's production of vitamin D. If you're worried about getting enough Vitamin D, ask your doctor about supplements.
• Include physical activity in your daily routine. Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, jogging, tennis and climbing stairs, can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss.

Fitness for Health is proud to debut a revolutionary, 12-week Bone and Joint Health program for adults and seniors that capitalizes on weight-bearing, fitness activities.  This new program helps to improve posture and increase bone density, strength and balance while counteracting the effects of osteoporosis, osteopenia and aging.

The Bone and Joint Health program elicits results faster and more effectively than traditional exercise or pharmaceuticals through two state-of-the-art fitness technologies:

• bioDensity^TM - Weight-bearing exercises are the key to stimulating bone growth, and the greater the weight applied, the better the results. The osteogenic loading that patients receive is multiples of bodyweight, and beyond what is typically seen in exercise.  Research has shown, bone density gains that averaged 7% in the hip and 7.7% in the spine over one year using bioDensity (Jaquish, 2013). These results are multiples of what the current interventions can do for bone density.
• Power Plate^TM- Power Plate is a whole body vibration platform that allows for reflexive engagement of the neuromuscular system at rapid and repeatable oscillation. This intervention has been clinically shown to increase balance and stability in both healthy and aging-frail populations.

When used once a week, research has shown the bioDensity system alone has significantly increased bone mass density, stability and functional movement with multiple ages, health conditions and for both genders. 

After each session, you’ll also receive a Performance Report detailing and analyzing your overall progress and offering tips to enhance your program.

Call us at 301-231-7138 to learn more about improving your bone strength.