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Is Walking Enough to Build Bone?

Is Walking Enough to Build Bone?

Exercise is probably one of the most essential aspects of maintaining and building strong, healthy bones. Our bones need resistance exercises to help build muscle which in turn makes bones stronger. Balance exercises help to improve our coordination and stability and decrease our risk of falls. Impact exercises provide a mechanical load through the bone and stimulate new bone formation. Activities such as jogging, jumping, racket sports, dancing, hiking, or stair climbing are all examples of impact exercises. But what about walking? Is walking a mile or two a couple of times a week enough to build bone mass? It depends.

Walking is considered a low-impact exercise, which is great for our maturing joints, but may not be optimal for building bone. It depends on the amount of stress and impact you create when your foot hits the ground. If your walking consists of a leisurely stroll or a morning walk with your dog who wants to stop and sniff every other minute, then it is not enough to build strong bones. For walking to be beneficial, you need to walk several miles, at a good pace, 3-4 times a week. Think power-walking.

However, there is another caveat to exercise and bone density and that is that our bones accommodate to exercise. This means that they adapt to the exercise that they are doing and they only get strong enough to handle that particular exercise. Walking at the same pace, for the same amount of time, the same number of days a week will result in a minimal increase in bone density. To truly build bones, you need to be continually challenging them. You need to switch up your routine, switch up your speed, change the load through the bones to stimulate new bone formation.

Here are some tips to enhance your walks:

  • Pick up the pace. Walking briskly will increase the impact of your foot on the pavement and add some extra stress on your bones.

  • Find some hills. Walking up and down hills will increase and vary the impact.

  • Change up your stride. Add sideways walking, high knee stepping, or braiding periodically to change up your stride. Try doing one of these activities for 1-minute intervals for a total of 8 times during your walk.

  • Add modified jogging to your walk. Take “baby steps” but use a jogging motion. This gives a great impact when your foot hits the ground. Start slow, only jogging for 10-20 seconds at a time, 2-3 times during your walk for the first few weeks. Only attempt this if you have healthy joints and spine.

  • Try walking poles. Poles are a great way to promote better posture, add stability when walking outside or hiking over uneven terrain, and promote weight-bearing and stress through the upper body as well as the lower body during your walks.

  • Add some weight. To increase the bone-strengthening benefits of walking, consider adding a weight vest.

Wearing a weighted vest during exercise not only stimulates bone formation but also aids in improving lean muscle mass as well as balance. A study published in the journal Rheumatology International found walking 30 minutes, 3 times a week wearing a weighted vest stimulated bone synthesis, increased lean tissue mass, and improved dynamic balance in post-menopausal women with osteoporosis. 

For years I have been researching weight vests to find one that is comfortable and fits the female frame. Many vests are too large and bulky and don’t fit snugly to a woman’s smaller frame.

What to look for in a weight vest:

  • The vest should fit snugly. If it is too loose, it will move around while exercising and throw off your balance or possibly cause injury.

  • Get a variable weight vest, one that you can gradually add weight to. If you start off with a vest with a fixed amount of weight, most likely it will be too heavy at first and could flare up an old injury or create a new one.

  • Choose a vest which you can add enough weight to equal 5 to 8% of your body weight.

  • Choose a vest that has weights that are in 1/4 pound to 1/2 pound increments. The lower weight increments are best if you have arthritis or previous injuries.

  • Make sure the weights can be distributed evenly around all sides of the vest so there is even loading throughout the body.

  • I prefer a vest that has a comfortable abdominal strap that transfers weight from the shoulders to the trunk.

If you are just starting out with an exercise program for osteoporosis, don’t use any weight in your vest for the first several weeks, simply begin a walking program with the goal of walking 30-45 minutes, 5 days a week. Once you have accomplished that, you can begin to add weight to your vest. By adding weight gradually, you allow the body to accommodate the additional weight without risking injury. 

Here some guidelines to follow when adding weight to your vest:

  • START LOW and GO SLOW. Start off with 1/4 pound of weight in the back of the vest

  • Walk your normal routine with the vest on for 1-2 weeks before increasing the weight

  • Increase the weight by no more than 1/4 pound a week

  • Alter the position of the new weight so the weights are evenly balanced in the front and back of the vest, as well as side to side

  • Gradually work up to a weight that is equivalent to 4-8% of your body weight, this could take several months..maybe even a year!

  • If at any time you begin to feel pain or discomfort, discontinue the use of the vest

My favorite weight vest is through a company called Challenge Weighted Workoutwear.

It meets all the criteria above and is very comfortable to wear.

Check out their website at: https://challengeweightedworkoutwear.com/collections/weighted-vests

If you put in the code “Brady” at checkout you will receive $10 off the vest of your choice along with free shipping.

Although walking may not produce the same bone-building results as high-impact exercises, it is one of the best exercises for many people because it is convenient, one of the safest forms of exercise, easy on the body’s joints and helps to improve balance and reduce the risk of falling. Walking is also beneficial to the soul because it may mean spending special time with a friend, enjoying pretty scenery, and breathing in fresh air.

Precaution: If you have severe osteoporosis or have experienced a fracture due to osteoporosis please check with your healthcare practitioner prior to starting any exercise routine.

Reach out if you need help establishing an exercise routine that best meets your bone health needs.

Goodnight Bones

Goodnight Bones

 

Sleep has amazing benefits to our body, our brains, and our bones. It can help you live longer, enhance your memory, ward off disease and protect against bone loss.

According to the research:

  • Sleep disruption can alter bone metabolism and decrease bone formation leading to bone loss and bone fractures

  • People with sleep disorders, like sleep apnea, have an increased risk of osteoporosis

  • Postmenopausal women who sleep less than 5 hours a night have a high risk of osteoporosis

There is no doubt that for our bones to be healthy they need sleep!

When we are fast asleep at night, our bones are busy repairing and rebuilding themselves. Our special bone cells called osteocytes are hard at work regulating the body’s calcium levels, repairing microscopic cracks in the bones, and orchestrating the bone remodeling process. If we aren’t getting good quality sleep at night, none of these processes can happen.

I know as we get older, as our hormones change, it can tougher and tougher to get a full night’s sleep. But there are a couple of things you can do to encourage slumber.

10 sleep strategies to help you get a good night’s sleep:

1. Get morning sunshine in your eyes. The morning light helps to set your daily circadian rhythm or that internal clock that regulates our sleep-wake cycle.

2. Stick to a consistent sleep schedule 7 days a week. Going to bed and waking at the same time every day helps to solidify your sleep-wake cycle. Staying up late to finish a work project and then trying to make up for lost sleep on weekends will only further disrupt your body’s natural clock.

3. Limit evening tech time. Turn off all electronics 2 hours before bedtime. The blue light emitted from your computers, pads, and phones is very similar to the sun’s rays and can confuse your brain into thinking it is still daytime.

4. Establish a bedtime ritual. Having an evening ritual of taking a warm bath, reading a book, meditation, prayer, a warm cup of tea can help you wind down and single to the body and brain that it is time for sleep.

5. Keep your bedroom as dark as possible. Cover sources of light that you can’t turn off or consider wearing a nighttime eye mask to block out the light.

6. Keep your bedroom cool. Sleep usually begins when our body temperature drops, so a colder room can encourage us to fall asleep faster.

7. Beware of electromagnetic frequencies. Keep your phone and electronic devices away from your body at night, or in airplane mode. This includes the use of sleep-tracking devices like Fitbit.

8. Be conscious about what you are eating and drinking in the hours before bedtime. Caffeine and alcohol can have negative effects on sleep. Although alcohol makes you feel sleepy because it is a sedative, it does not induce a night of natural, restorative sleep. So it can lead to waking up more frequently at night and interfering with your normal sleep cycles.

9. Don’t nap too late in the day or for too long. 20-30 minutes is the ideal length for a power nap.

10. Reserve your bedroom for 2 things…..sex and sleep!

Many wonderful natural sleep remedies can help promote a good night’s sleep. Herbal teas with valerian root, chamomile, lavender, and lemon balm are a good place to start since they can help calm your system and encourage sleep. The other popular sleep remedy is melatonin, which in some studies has been shown to help with sleep and bone density.

If you are struggling to sleep, reach out and let me help you determine what sleep remedy might best suit you.

Sleep is really too important to your health, your bones, your body, and your brain to be neglected!

 

 

References:

  1. MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Short sleep may harm bone health in older women. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327076.
  2. Preidt, R. (2014, April 15). Sleep Apnea May Be Linked to Poor Bone Health. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-apnea/news/20140415/sleep-apnea-may-be-linked-to-poor-bone-health#:~:text=Over%20six%20years%20of%20follow,apnea%2C%20according%20to%20the%20study.
  3. Swanson, C. M., Kohrt, W. M., Buxton, O. M., Everson, C. A., Wright, K. P., Orwoll, E. S., & Shea, S. A. (2018, July). The importance of the circadian system & sleep for bone health. Metabolism: clinical and experimental. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5994176/.
  4. Xu, X., Wang, L., Chen, L., Su, T., Zhang, Y., Wang, T., Ma, W., Yang, F., Zhai, W., Xie, Y., Li, D., Chen, Q., Fu, X., Ma, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2016, August 2). Effects of chronic sleep deprivation on bone mass and bone metabolism in rats. Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4970273/.
“B” is for Balanced Nutrition

“B” is for Balanced Nutrition

What you eat on a daily basis fuels and feeds your cells. When most people think about nutrition for healthy bones, they think about milk and other dairy products.

Your bone cells need a constant supply of over 20 different nutrients each day, not just calcium and vitamin D. To acquire all of these nutrients you need a balanced diet.

We are inundated with fad diets that often restrict certain food groups. These diets might help you lose a few quick pounds, but they also might not be the best diet for our bones. Our bones need a balance of healthy fats, clean proteins, organic vegetables and fruits, non-GMO grains, nuts, and seeds. What our bones don’t need are processed foods with artificial ingredients, loaded with salt and sugar.

Because we all are biochemically different with individual nutrient needs, there is no one diet that “fits all.” However, I do think there are some general dietary principles that we can all follow to boost our bone strength.

So what does a bone-healthy diet look like?

Clean Protein
For years it was suggested that eating a diet high in protein increased the risk of developing osteoporosis. This belief was based on the results of several early studies that indicated a high protein diet increased calcium excretion in the urine. The assumption was that the acid in the protein pulled calcium out of the bone was then excreted in the urine. However, more recent studies reveal that although eating protein increases calcium excretion in the urine, it also promotes calcium absorption in the intestines. The net result is it has no impact on our bones. However, the boost in calcium absorption can only occur if we are taking enough calcium in.

30% of our bone mass is made up of protein, primarily in the form of type 1 collagen. Even though our bodies make collagen, the amount we make decreases with age. One of the reasons why we get wrinkles. That’s why I am a firm believer in getting enough protein in our diets.

The best advice on how much protein our bones need comes out of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO). They recommend 1- 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day (to find kilograms of body weight divide your weight in pounds by 2.2). It is also best to divide your protein intake up over the course of several meals. The debate of whether animal protein or plant protein is better for bone health remains unclear. Fish and animal proteins provide a direct source of collagen whereas plant-based proteins and nutrients support your body’s own production of collagen.

Fearless Fats
Studies have shown that diets low in mono-saturated fats can increase one’s risk for osteoporosis. Omega 3 fatty acids are of particular importance. They increase the absorption of calcium from the intestines, help to prevent bone loss by reducing inflammation, and support osteoblast activity, the cells that make new bone. Olive oil also positively affects bone health, most likely due to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Complex Carbohydrates
Fat used to be the demon in the diet and now we have turned against carbohydrates. Yet whole grains and complex carbohydrates provide fibers that feed our gut microbiome and many essential bone-building nutrients. Grains provide B vitamins along with minerals such as magnesium, manganese, zinc, and copper that are critical for bone metabolism. Including whole grains like brown rice and quinoa in your diet would be a better choice than eating refined grains found in bread and pasta.

Vegetables and Fruits
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that we need to be eating more vegetables and fruits! It has been shown that diets higher in vegetables and fruits are also associated with better bone mass and may even help to lower the risk of hip fractures. Fruits and vegetables can provide many of the nutrients your body needs to build and maintain bone mass. In addition to vitamins and minerals, vegetables and fruits provide many different phytochemicals that are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant in nature. Anything we can do to squelch inflammation and oxidation will help to stop bone loss.

The Mediterranean Diet
I am a big fan of the Mediterranean diet. It is well known that eating a Mediterranean-style diet has many beneficial effects on your health. Numerous studies throughout the years have shown that this diet can help prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and can decrease the risk of developing cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. It has also been shown to have beneficial effects on bone health.

After analyzing the data from the Women’s Health Initiative study, researchers found that women who most closely followed a Mediterranean diet had a 20 percent lower risk for hip fractures compared to women who followed other diets. More recent research suggests that eating a Mediterranean-type diet could reduce bone loss in people with osteoporosis.

One of the reasons why the Mediterranean diet may be effective in supporting bone health is because it provides a very balanced diet full of an array of nutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory foods. It encourages a high consumption of vegetables, but also lots of olive oil, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fish. It suggests a moderate intake of grains, dairy in the form of cheeses and yogurts, and chicken. It limits intake of red meat and sweets and, of course, it discourages processed foods.

The other thing I like about the Mediterranean diet is that it uses a lot of spices such as garlic, onions, and fresh herbs such as oregano, basil, and thyme. These herbs have wonderful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

When putting together a bone-building diet, using the Mediterranean diet as your foundation would be a great place to start. From there you can tweak it to meet your individual needs.
Strong bones stem from a balance of nutrients, not just calcium and vitamin D.

Contact me if you would like my help building your bone-healthy diet!

 

References:

  1. Byberg, L., Bellavia, A., Orsini, N., Wolk, A., & Michaëlsson, K. (2015). Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Risk of Hip Fracture: A Cohort Study of Swedish Men and Women. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 30(6), 976–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.2384
  2. Kerstetter, J. E., O’Brien, K. O., Caseria, D. M., Wall, D. E., & Insogna, K. L. (2005). The Impact of Dietary Protein on Calcium Absorption and Kinetic Measures of Bone Turnover in Women. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 90(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2004-0179
  3. Macdonald, H. M., New, S. A., Golden, M. H. N., Campbell, M. K., & Reid, D. M. (2004). Nutritional associations with bone loss during the menopausal transition: evidence of a beneficial effect of calcium, alcohol, and fruit and vegetable nutrients and of a detrimental effect of fatty acids. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79(1), 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/79.1.155
  4. Prynne, C. J., Mishra, G. D., O’Connell, M. A., Muniz, G., Laskey, M. A., Yan, L., … Ginty, F. (2006). Fruit and vegetable intakes and bone mineral status: a cross-sectional study in 5 age and sex cohorts. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(6), 1420–1428. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/83.6.1420
  5. Rizzoli, R., Stevenson, J. C., Bauer, J. M., van Loon, L. J. C., Walrand, S., Kanis, J. A., … Reginster, J.-Y. (2015). Erratum to “The role of dietary protein and vitamin D in maintaining musculoskeletal health in postmenopausal women: A consensus statement from the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO)” [Maturitas 79 (2014) 122–132]. Maturitas, 80(3), 337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.11.005
  6. ScienceDaily. (2018, July 11). How a Mediterranean diet could reduce bone loss in osteoporosis. ScienceDaily. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180711093133.htm.