Keeping Your Bones Strong and Healthy

Jacksonville Certified Advanced Personal Trainer,
Fitness Training, Pilates Instructor, Flexibility, Diet and Nutrition Coach in Jacksonville
FL, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Ponte Vedra, Sawgrass and the Beaches Area.
Phone (904) 422-6218

Private Studio One-on-One Personal Fitness Training. Serving the Jacksonville Beaches Area.

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Keeping Your Bones Strong and Healthy
In a two-year study, exercising women gained 6.2 percent more bone mass while their sedentary counterparts continued to lose bone mass.

One of the maladies that seems to typify the fragility of an elderly person is falling and breaking a hip. We have a news flash for you: More often than you could imagine, first the hip breaks and THEN the person falls.

Also see Calcium - The Most Important Mineral for Bone Health.

Osteoporosis is demineralization of bone that causes it to weaken and makes it unable to withstand even the slightest trauma or to support minimal weight. The pelvis, which serves as the foundation for both the upper and lower body, takes a lot of stress as it stabilizes the body for movement. When the pelvis is weakened and thinned tied from osteoporosis, it may be unable to hold up and may give way in a searing fracture, dropping its owner to the ground. Indeed, osteoporosis is the reason we have the term "little old lady." The "little" comes from the sad fact that many women literally shrink as their hone masses decrease and they suffer from vertebral fractures that diminish their height. This collapse of spine forms the "Dowager's hump" at the base of the neck, when the back can no longer support the weight of the head and the neck drops forward. Abdominal and thoracic organs get repositioned as the spine slowly collapses behind them and the rib cage closes in. Anatomically, very little will work properly past this point. The pain is described as being agonizing and relentless. Men and women, young and old, are susceptible to osteopenia (the precursor) and osteoporosis, but postmenopausal women may be more at risk.

Osteoporosis or osteopenia are easily diagnosed with a bone scan-a safe and painless procedure that gives a person and his or her physician an accurate reading of bone density. The physician may scan the entire body or select a small but representative part of the body, such as the hip or wrist, for a miniscan.

The good news is that osteoporosis is preventable with good healthcare. Once detected, it may be slowed or partially reversed. Physicians recommend that calcium supplements be added to the diet and exercise be made part of life. A study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has determined that it is important to exercise three times a week for 30 minutes each session, for strength and aerobic conditioning. Exercising women in the study gained 6.2 percent more bone mass in just two years; their sedentary counterparts continued to lose bone mass.

Posture Is More Than Looking Good

Eighty percent of all older adults complain at some point of low back pain. How often have you heard "I've got a bad back"-or said it yourself? The source of low back pain is rarely the lower back. Pain comes from weakened abdominal muscles that no longer allow an older person to support proper carriage. To prove the point to yourself, stand up straight and thrust your lower abdomen out, exaggerating the "paunch" of a weakened midline. Notice that your lower back follows forward and your hips rock forward to form a sort of front-to-back "S"curve. Your waist disappears. Your head thrusts forward. Your internal organs shift. And your breathing becomes shallow. When so many things shift and change, your body enters into a series of compensations to adjust to the new posture. Your back, from the base of your skull to the flair of your pelvis, strains against this forward pull to hold you erect. And something probably your back-is guaranteed to give. A strong abdomen will help keep your body in line.

Another leading cause of "bad backs" is lack of flexibility. One of the sayings in Tai Chi is: "You are as young as your spine is flexible." Keeping your spine supple allows you to move freely and to hold your body in perfect form. You will have a hedge on injury. Your back "gives" when you reach for something or move suddenly.

Flexibility Is Smart

Not only is Active-Isolated Stretching smart for your body, but studies have shown that exercise can increase your mental functioning as well by increasing the blood flow to your brain. Test scores are better than those of nonexercising people and are improved when a person starts to exercise. Additionally, response times are quicker.

Flexibility training is offered by some advanced personal trainers. Also, seek out a good massage therapist who understands body alignment and flexibility stretches. You won't just lay on a table while the therapist does a relaxing massage, you will be actively involved in therapeutic movement while the therapist "pins" and "stretches" you out. Also, seek out a good Thai massage practioner.

Certified Advanced Personal Trainer in Jacksonville FL
Phone (904) 422-6218