Archive for the ‘Osteoporosis’ Category

• Twice-a-week strength training best for over-50 group

  Date: 2011.10.25 | Category: Fitness & Health, Nutrition, Osteoporosis, Strength Training for Osteoporosis Prevention, Strength Training for Women, Weight-bearing exercise | Response: 5

  

  Colleen, Sue, Gerry, & Moni enjoying biceps curls!

  I headed up to Fargo, ND this month for the Northland chapter meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine on “Resistance (Strength) Training Across the Lifespan”.  The 10 hour drive was worth it to hear the top people in the field of exercise science speak. Of course, the Strength Training for Older Adults session was my favorite, as well as the session on recovery foods led by a professor of nutrition. I was pleased to see slide after slide of research confirming the information in my Nutrient Timing blog post. Keep drinking those yummy smoothies!

  Here’s some great news about getting the right “dose” of strength training per week. Two times a week is not only enough strength training, but research has shown that twice weekly can actually be better than three days a week.

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• Q & A: What exercises should we do and when?

  Date: 2011.10.07 | Category: Osteoporosis, Strength Training for Osteoporosis Prevention, Strength Training for Women, Weight-bearing exercise | Response: 0

  

  Back Extension for strong backs, balance, & coordination

  The easy question is when to strength train! Anytime that is convenient for you is the best time to strength train. Do it  2-3 times a week to build muscle and neural-muscular connections to help you stay on your feet with better balance and coordination, on non-consecutive days. At the very least, be out of your chair & on your feet for a minimum of 4 hours a day. If you have a desk job, stand up often and maybe even put that computer at standing level. I always want to get a plug in for doing at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per week with a good portion of it being weight-bearing exercise, meaning on your feet! If swimming is your favorite cardiovascular exercise, then make doubly sure that you  strength train for the nice bone-building pull that it puts on bones.

  What exercises to do is a bit more complex, in terms of strength training.

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• DDM: Daily Dose of Movement

  Date: 2011.08.21 | Category: Daily Dose of Movement(c), Fitness & Health, Osteoporosis, Weight-bearing exercise | Response: 1

  

  My file cabinet is a great mini-stepper desk!

  No time for exercise? Get your DDM: Daily Dose of Movement in throughout the day with tiny bouts of exercise. One of my favorite ways to get my DDM is the mini-stepper that I keep under my desk and pull out anytime that I’m on the phone, reading, or even working at my computer. You’ll feel the effort in the muscles of the thighs and around the hip joints, which makes it a great workout for osteoporosis prevention, helping to maintain or even increase the bone density of your hips.  Also, you get a tiny heel thump at the bottom of each step, which  sends a little upward jolt that can stimulate bone growth in your lower spine and hips, like walking does. If you don’t like that thump or if it bothers your joints, don’t step down as far or put some padding below the foot plates. Caution: For safety, hang on to some form of support while on a stepper, especially if your balance is challenged.

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• Exercise Guidelines & Precautions

  Date: 2011.07.02 | Category: Daily Dose of Movement(c), Fitness & Health, Osteoporosis, Strength Training for Osteoporosis Prevention, Strength Training for Women | Response: 0

  

  Girija strength training

  It’s a great idea to adapt one’s exercise routine when you get to that over-50 mark! What worked when we were 20 can be counterproductive in the second half of our lives, especially if you are dealing with low bone density. If you are strength training for osteoporosis and fracture prevention, please heed these precautions!

  Jane Brody, Personal Health columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote a very important article entitled, Forget About Crunches. Here’s How to Protect Your Back,  for those who need to strengthen and protect their spines. (Really, who doesn’t??) Take a look at it. Even if you don’t have low bone density or osteoporosis, following these recommendations will protect the discs between the vertebrae of your spine, help maintain your bone density, and build beautiful posture.

  During and between exercise sessions, walk tall by standing up straight, slide chin back, pull shoulders back and down, pull tummy in, and lift your chest up as if you’re showing off a gorgeous necklace! Do the same when you’re sitting, plus add squeezing your gluteal muscles in the buns  together. Try it….feel taller and less compressed in the midsection? I do! Keep at it throughout the day and all of these little moves will contribute to fabulous posture and what I call your “DDM: Daily Dose of Movement”!