How important are your bones to you?

How important are your bones to you?

Here at Fighting Fit the majority of our members are over 35 years of age. Vital at every age for healthy bones, exercise is important for treating and preventing osteoporosis. Like muscle, bone is living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. Young women and men who exercise regularly generally achieve greater peak bone mass (maximum bone density and strength) than those who do not. For most people, bone mass peaks during the third decade of one’s life. After that time, we can begin to lose bone. Women and men older than age 20 can help prevent bone loss with regular exercise. Not only does exercise improve your bone health, it also increases muscle strength, balance and coordination, and it leads to better overall health, which in turn helps to prevent falls and related fractures. This is especially important for older adults and people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.

We recommend weight-bearing exercise for your bones, which forces you to work against gravity. Some examples of weight-bearing exercises include resistance training, walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, tennis, golf and calisthenics. These are just a few of the things some of our elderly gym goers get up to in their spare time.

You know your body better than anyone else. So it is always important to listen to it. When starting an exercise routine, you may have some muscle soreness and discomfort at the beginning, but this should not be painful or last more than 72 hours. If it does, you may be working too hard and need to ease up … yes we said ease up … NOT give up.

Remember, exercise is only one part of keeping your bones strong and healthy. Like a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D, exercise helps strengthen bones at any age. But proper exercise and diet may not be enough to stop bone loss caused by medical conditions, menopause, or lifestyle choices such as tobacco use and excessive alcohol consumption.

To help avoid osteoporosis the following is recommended:

• Exercise must be regular (at least 3 times per week),
• Exercise should progress over time (amount of weight used, degree of exercise difficulty, height of jumps … must increase or vary over time to challenge bones and muscles),
• Exercise routines should be varied (variety in routines is better than repetition) and exercise should be performed in short, intensive bursts not long durations.

It does not matter what age, shape or size you are … our aim is to help you maintain a stronger – happier – healthier you.

Check out these amazing ladies that have been with us for over 10 years … they will not hesitate to give anything a go. Can you keep up?

T&Cxx