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Bone Health
You may not realize it, but your bones are constantly being rebuilt on approximately
a 10 year cycle by cells called osteoclasts, which dissolve away bone in preparation for
renewal by another type of cell called osteoblasts. Every day the actions that you take and the
foods you eat affect the quality of the bones that are being built for you.
So why does bone structure and density weaken as we age? The latest studies point to our
bodies using the alkaline materials that are locked in our bones to balance out the excessive
acidity caused by our modern diets and the lower efficiency of our kidneys for removing
acids as we age. If alkaline materials are needed to balance your body’s PH, those
materials are not available for the bone rebuilding cells to do their job. So they are forced
to rebuild with less mass and structure, leaving weaker bones.
The second thing that affects bone health as we age is that we are often not as active
as we were when we were younger. Impact exercise, usually categorized as either high impact
(running, jumping, stair climbing, dancing) or low impact (fast walking, stair-step machines,
low-impact aerobic routines) actually improves bone density, many times a measurable amount
in a short time frame. Clearly, use it or lose it applies when it comes to building
bone.
The third thing that has a profound impact on maintaining bone health is having the muscular
strength to maintain a strong sense of balance. Balance consists of the ability to respond
to information coming from the inner ear and brain AND understanding where your body is
in space, which is called proprioception. Every movement we make is dependent on our
brain knowing precisely where our arms, legs, fingers and toes are - what they are doing
and what they are about to do. Any failure in the proprioception system can lead to injury.
For reasons unknown, proprioception diminishes with age and contributes to most of the falls
that occur in the elderly. The good news is that regular daily movement, such as exercise
and dance, can positively maintain proprioception into extremely advanced ages. Avoiding falls
altogether is one of the best ways to maintain your bone health.
So what can we do to build better bone health? Here are some good ideas:
Eat a highly Alkaline Diet As we age, our kidneys become less efficient
at removing the acids from the foods we eat. Our body can become highly acidic and our
system moves all of its resources to bring our PH into balance, even at the expense of
our bones. Most grains and proteins break down into sulfuric
and other acidic compounds in the body. On the other hand, almost all fruits and vegetables
break down into bicarbonate which adds alkali into the system. Most people don’t realize
it, but there are many, many sources of calcium besides dairy foods that can be added to the
diet that also promote a more alkali bodily environment. There are easy ways to include
these foods regularly in your diet, so we will include and alkaline/acidic food list
and recipes on our website.
Include exercises daily that impact bones and improve balance
Strength training and Aerobic exercises both include movements which push or impact your
bones. These impacts accelerate the bone rebuilding cycle and push the body to build the bone
structure stronger. Exercise such as swimming or indoor cycling where there is little or
no direct pressure on bones may be good for your heart and muscles, but will have little
or no benefit to adding to bone mass. When you are planning what types of exercise you
will be considering, be sure to add at least one and preferably more low or high impact
exercise in your routines. As with all other forms of exercise, start slow and work your
way up to higher levels to avoid injury.
Strength training improves proprioception, reflex response time and your body’s ability
to self-correct when you fall. Other ways to work specifically to improve your balance
and proprioception skills include: - Core muscle exercises
- Working on a balance ball or balance board - Tai chi and certain yoga positions
- Balancing on one foot while working with weights
Investing in your bones only takes a few minutes each day. The payoff is a lifetime of strength
and mobility.
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