I get emails with questions about osteoporosis prevention almost daily. Osteoporosis is a very serious condition that affects one in two women in America. Osteoporosis is a bone condition referring to a loss of bone density.
Our bones are the hardest living material in our body. Bones are made of complex crystalline calcium (with magnesium) salts, which gives it its necessary hardness. In addition it is interspersed with strong fibrous strands making a living matrix, which gives resilience and some elasticity to the hardness. It is important to understand that bone is a living tissue and as such has cells that maintain its functional integrity. 

Osteoporosis is a condition that causes bones to become thin and porous thus decreasing bone hardness which increases the risk of bone fractures.  The most common fracture sites are of the wrist, spine and hip. It is estimated that 10 million Americans have some degree of osteoporosis; an additional 34 million are at risk. The idea is to prevent or reverse the loss of calcium which is the cause to the bone thinning and brittleness.

There is no single cause of osteoporosis however there are some known risk factors, such as age and gender. As we age we are susceptible to lose bone density, more so women than men. It is estimated that 1 out of 2 women over 50 will suffer from an osteoporosis related fracture.  That is because menopause increases the risk of osteoporosis due to the decline in estrogen levels.  

Physical activity and calcium

There are two things we can do to help prevent osteoporosis; weight bearing exercises and intake sufficient calcium in our diet. Calcium and Vitamin D are the building blocks for our bones; whereas vitamin D helps the body to absorb the calcium. You need to do weight bearing exercises to stress the bones and increase circulation to get the calcium into the bones and rebuild weak matrix-structures.

Almost every article written about osteoporosis states the importance of physical activity to reverse and prevent osteoporosis.  Over 80 % of our bone mass is achieved when we are young, (age 18 for women and age20 for men) and we need maintain it as we age. Physical activity, combined with adequate calcium and Vitamin D, plays an important role in this process.
What is required to reverse and prevent osteoporosis is the correct type physical activity; that which puts a "load" or force on our bones. Our bones then respond by forming new bone and remodeling the bone to be stronger. Key bones, like the bones in our legs, back and wrist, need to be stimulated by physical activity --so we need to be active in different ways in order to "load" or stimulate these bones and maintain their structural competence and strength. Physical activity doesn't only affect bone mass. It improves our balance and coordination which, in turn, reduces our risk of falling -- falls that can result in fractures. In addition, improved strength, flexibility and posture can reduce pain and enable people with osteoporosis to do daily tasks more easily. (www.osteoporosis.ca)

There is a miss conception that weight bearing exercises require using weights.  That is a total falsify; the body is heavy enough that when we lift our arms or legs they are heavy enough to qualify as “weight bearing”. Classical Stretch is the ideal exercise program to load the bones sufficiently without damaging the joints.  Exercises in Classical Stretch such as the plies, heel raisers, arms and side leg kicks use the weight the body to stress the bones. This has proven to be sufficient to reverse many many users of Classical Stretch.

If you do one ½ hr workout of Classical Stretch everyday of the week your bones should become strong and healthy.  The following is a video with suggested Classical Stretch exercises to prevent osteoporosis.

In terms of calcium, take a look at the following chart for your daily calcium requirements.  You can also click here for calcium recipes.

For more traditional information I suggest going to the web site of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, www.nof.org.  For less traditional information I suggest reading “The China Study”.

Age	Daily calcium requirement
4 to 8	800 mg
9 to 18	1300 mg
19 to 50	1000 mg
50+	1200 mg
Pregnant or lactating women 18+	1000 mg

Suggestions to prevent and reverse osteoporosis:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables
• Eat a well balanced diet with lots of colorful vegetables on your plate (this is important as colors in food are full of different micro nutrients such as magnesium, potassium and vitamin K all essential in building strong bones).
• Living an active life style

Risk factors of Osteoporosis

• Smoking is a known cause of osteoporosis
• Alcohol is a known cause of osteoporosis
• Poor diet
• Anorexia and bulimia
• Genetic
• Lack of exercise: people who do not exercise are at higher risk for osteoporosis

 

More and more we are getting demand for live classes just about all over the US, why not start a new career as a Classical Stretch/Essentrics instructor. Our 4 step distance learning program will give you all the knowledge you need to become instructor.

You can also speed up your certification by participating in our live workshops where you will gain even more in depth knowledge of the program and you will lean valuable information that will help you with your certification process. 

Next Teacher Training Workshops - Montreal, Qc Canada

• Level 1 July 23, 24 and 25th 2011
• Level 2 July 27, 28 and 29th 2011
• Level 3 July 31, August 1st and 2nd 2011
• Level 4 August 4, 5 and 6th 2011

Click here to download the registration form

If you have any questions about becoming a teacher you can read more about it the website or feel free to write to training@classicalstretch.com