Q: How do you know if you are doing enough to prevent bone loss and stay healthy? I’m in my late 40s with a safe BMI (22.3). I do a combo of free weights, machines, and core exercises 45 minutes, two days a week and do weight-bearing aerobic exercise for 35-plus minutes five days a week. If I maintain this for the rest of my life will this do the trick?
– M. Golden, Denver
A: Physical activities involving explosive moves and resistance are THE most important factor in maintaining bone density. Walking, jogging, dancing, kickboxing, gardening, snowshoeing, etc. all are good exercises, but the single most effective way to maintain bone health is through weight lifting. Tufts University professor and author Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., says, “We found that women who did resistance training twice a week for one year actually gained bone density versus a control group 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 the bioengineering department at Binghamton University in New York found that just 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 you don’t have adequate fluid flow across your bone, you’re not going to have adequate cell metabolism to trigger cell formation,” states McLeod. He has found that the key to triggering bone growth is to focus primarily on a specific type of Type II fiber called Type IIA. This fiber responds to both endurance and explosive movements, which mean a variety of weight lifting protocols may be the key to bone stimulation.
When weight lifting, learn proper form and start with easy weights that allow you to perform two sets of 12-15 repetitions before tiring. This will give your connective tissue (especially around your joints) a chance to adapt to your new activity. By using a scale of 1 to 5 (with “1” lifting a banana and “5” lifting a giant box of kitty litter), strive to get to level “4” where two sets of eight repetitions is all you can do (and still maintain proper form.)
If you already have osteoporosis, increase your weights slowly. Cans of soup and bags of beans are not designed for the task. Dumbbells are inexpensive and available at discount and sporting goods stores.
You may want to ask your physician if you should have a base-line bone-density test just to see where you are. Other factors can intrude upon good bones regardless of activity level and healthy eating habits, such as medication, celiac disease, genetic factors, and hormonal changes, to name a few.
I highly recommend Miriam Nelson’s book “Strong Women, Strong Bones” (Perigee, $13.95). This book will further your understanding of osteoporosis and provide more ideas on how to continue to fight back. The website strongwomen.com is another good resource.
Linda Buch, ACE-certified exercise specialist, will respond to fitness questions only in her weekly column. Send questions to: Body Language, The Denver Post, 1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202 or e-mail her at LJBalance@aol.com.
