Hundreds of scientific studies confirm that exercise will increase our bone density and that we can, at least while we continue to exercise regularly, delay the fractures that would have occurred had we not engaged in our regular exercise program. Scientific studies also confirm that exercise can help us to lose weight, maintain a healthy blood pressure, slightly improve lung function, and clean up clogged arteries by boosting blood levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Many people can find a way to listen to cable TV, radio, DVDs, or CDs while exercising. However, what happens after we have stopped exercising for several months? Do we get to keep any of the benefit to our bone density that we have so painstakingly earned? Or is the bone density benefit completely lost and do we become no better off than if we had not wasted all that time exercising and suffering? Any athlete or body builder will tell you that after you quit exercising, you will gradually begin to lose your muscle mass and after several months, revert back to what you looked like before you began your resistance (weight) training or endurance training program. Almost everybody quits their exercise program sooner or later. Does the same thing that happens to our muscle mass happen also to our bone density after termination of our exercise program? I'll let you be the judge of these results: http://www.foodandnutritionresearch.net/index.php/fnr/article/viewArticle/1 872/1940 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19109651 http://books.google.com/books?id=xY5hUqET2kgC&pg=PA193&lpg=PA193&dq=termina tion+of+exercise+and+bone+density&sour&resnum=7#PPA192,M1
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What happens to our bone density when we quit our exercise program?
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- By sdivas
- Posted June 8, 2009 at 11:11 am
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There is also a condition due to muscle loss which is called sarcopenia. I feel exercise is about the quality of my days. I don't feel that I am wasting time or suffering but it took me awhile before I found a form of exercise that would be safe and effective for my bone loss and that I enjoyed.
- By SequoiaHealth
- Posted June 8, 2009 at 4:02 pm
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Hi rmchavin:
One of the great misconceptions about exercise is that it has to be done for something. Plain and simple, people live higher quality, more independent lives when they are physically active. The trick is to create a well balanced program that is fun and will give the activity you need in a reasonable amount of time each week.
There are many tricks to keeping ourselves motivated. The best is to find a partner. The exercise becomes a social activity rather than drudgery. If we skip overall the facts and figures about exercise, we find that it helps empower us mentally. It allows to say “I am doing something good for myself” instead of “I know I should be doing that but…”
So in total, the benefits are really more mental than physical but that is hard to put into a nice little package for a study. Exercise is a good way to feel good about yourself. Your body will respond in kind.
Woody McMahon
NOVA Osteoporosis Support Group
- By slansing
- Posted June 8, 2009 at 6:14 pm
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Yikes! I really dislike the observation that everyone quits their exercise program sooner or later. I hope that's not true. I exercise like my life depends on it, so quitting is not an option.
Of course, life is what happens while we're busy making other plans; so accidents and illness can definitely screw up an exercise regime. The key (at least for me) is to keep moving SOMETHING until I can move something else until I can actually call it exercise.
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