right or wrong exercise

• By SusieHathaway
• Reply 3492192 · In reply to 3488666 by summer01
• October 26, 2012 at 5:34 pm
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Hi Summer01!
Here is some good information about weight bearing activities, including running, from the NOF website: http://www.nof.org/articles/238

"High-impact weight-bearing exercises help build bones and keep them strong. If you have broken a bone due to osteoporosis or are at risk of breaking a bone, you may need to avoid high-impact exercises. If you’re not sure, you should check with your healthcare provider.
Examples of high-impact weight-bearing exercises are:
Dancing
Doing high-impact aerobics
Hiking
Jogging/running
Jumping Rope
Stair climbing
Tennis

Low-impact weight-bearing exercises can also help keep bones strong and are a safe alternative if you cannot do high-impact exercises. Examples of low-impact weight-bearing exercises are:
Using elliptical training machines
Doing low-impact aerobics
Using stair-step machines
Fast walking on a treadmill or outside"

Brisk walking is such an easily accessible exercise. Find a friend to come with you and you'll be more likely to make it a daily habit. At the ISO9, the International Symposium on Osteoporosis, it was suggested to be on your feet at least 4 hours a day to help slow down bone loss. Work up to that much time, though, if you're not close to that many hours.
Enjoy!
-Susie

• By SusieHathaway
• Reply 3492208 · In reply to 3489999 by SWF
• October 26, 2012 at 5:38 pm
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Hi SWF,
I’m relieved that you decided not to pursue the push mower. Everyone brought up many aspects to consider and gave you great advice. I love the downsizing comment!
It’s wonderful to stay active with weight bearing exercise. You’re wise to carefully pick and choose activities that are safe for your spine.
Cheers!
Susie

• By SusieHathaway
• Reply 3496598 · In reply to 3494319 by wife2abadge
• October 28, 2012 at 3:00 pm
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I kind of wonder how much good low-impact exercise is, though. Prior to breaking my leg in 2005, I did step aerobics almost daily, weight training, walking, and cycling. After breaking my leg, my doctor advised no more weight bearing exercise. I still cycled, but switched to the elliptical instead of step aerobics. I spend a lot of time standing and walking at my job, walk the dog every day, and usually end up with 10,000-12,000 steps on my pedometer every day. In spite of all that, I still ended up with osteoporosis.

Hi wife2abadge,
It must be so discouraging to do all of that exercise and still get osteoporosis. So many factors come into play…your peak bone mass at age 30, your genes, diet, medications, lifestyle, etc. People can do everything “right” and still get osteoporosis.

Being on your feet in a weight bearing position provides only moderate stimulation to the bone, but the point is that every little bit of physical activity helps. It’s a reminder to your skeleton to do its job which is to support the soft tissue of your body. Bone responds to variety, so keep doing things a little differently to vary your routine, with your doctor’s guidance.

Miriam Nelson mentions in her excellent book, Strong Women, Strong Bones, that lifetime walkers have greater bone density and fewer fractures than their peers who are sedentary. She emphasizes that it is the decades of walking that can help, not simply a year. But walking is a very accessible and convenient aerobic activity which is wonderful for your heart and health in general, so keep at it!

When you say that your doctor doesn't want you to do weight bearing exercise, do you mean no weight lifting? Maybe your doctor would be fine with using resistance bands for strength/resistance training, which has been shown to be beneficial for bones and balance.

From a WebMD article: “You may not see the results on a bone density test immediately, cautions Felicia Cosman, MD, medical director of the Clinical Research Center at Helen Hayes Hospital in Haverstraw, N.Y., a spokeswoman for the National Osteoporosis Foundation.” "Time and time again, I'll recommend weight training to patients and they come back expecting to see big changes in bone density in a year or two."
"That's not realistic. You're helping to prevent bone loss, and the changes may be relatively small per year," she says. "But if you persist with your weight training, even a 1% change in bone density every year adds up to a 10% difference after ten years. … That's a lot of bone." http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/living-with-osteoporosis-7/weight-trainin g
Good luck and keep at it!
Susie