Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Q: I have a family history of osteoporosis. My bone density test just came back low. My doctor says I have osteopenia, and I should take calcium supplements and exercise. What kind of exercise should I do?
A: Weight bearing exercise, like walking and lifting weights, can help maintain bone mass and even increase it. The process is called bone loading.
Studies with tennis players show that by whackin’ a ball back and forth day after day, the bones in the racquet arm became stronger and denser than the bones in the non-racquet arm.
The three areas most at risk for osteoporotic fracture are the spine, the thighbone at the hip and the wrist.
Here are some exercises you can do at home to get you started.
For your spine:
Get a towel and extend your arms overhead pulling the ends of the towel slightly bending your elbows and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Hold for 10 seconds and repeat up to six times.
You can get yourself one of those big backpack purses and try walking around with that. Hold your abs in and keep an erect posture. This helps to strengthen the muscles that hold the spine in alignment.
For your hips:
Hold on to a chair or wall and while standing on one leg lift your other leg straight in front of you slowly up, then down 10-15 times. Then switch.
It’s a double bone loading whammy for both the leg you are standing on and the leg you are lifting.
For your wrists:
Use hand weights or go to your pantry and grab some cans. They weigh about a pound apiece. Hold your arms bent at right angles at the elbows palms up and using only your wrists, curl the cans up toward you and then back down. Repeat 8-15 times. Then hold the cans palm down and curl them up away from your body then down. Repeat 8-15 times.
If you do these exercises every other day, you might just have the best bones in your neighborhood.
Send your Ask Mirabai questions to exercise@movingfree.com.
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