During the transition to menopause your most immediate concern is in finding ways to ease the distress of the symptoms you are experiencing at the moment, such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia and fatigue. Understandable. However, you must be aware that there’s a”silent disease” that you could already have or be at risk of developing, before knowing.
Osteoporosis
It means “porous bone” and it is a disorder of the bones that causes a reduction in bone density and mass, leaving the bone weak and susceptible to fractures. You can not feel your bones becoming weaker, so very often it requires a break to understand that you have osteoporosis. Throughout your youth and young adulthood, your bones are constantly being removed and rebuilt; old bone is being replaced with new bone.
After age 30, bone loss begins to outpace bone formation. After menopause, bone loss speeds up even more as a result of decrease in estrogen levels in your body; actually post menopausal women may lose up to 2 percent of the bone mass annually.
The Numbers
Osteoporosis affects over 200 million people globally. It’s estimated that over 10 million Americans, both men and women, have osteoporosis and 34 million more are at high risk of developing it. A staggering 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men will suffer bone fractures associated with osteoporosis at some point in their life. Although you can not control certain risk factors for developing osteoporosis such as a family history of this disease, a life of non-exercise, a lifelong low-calcium diet or a low body weight/height ratio, it is not too late to incorporate some changes into your lifestyle which helps strengthen your bones and reduce your risk of fractures.
Exercise
Recent studies have demonstrated that the risk of osteoporosis is reduced in people that are active, and health experts are recommending the following 3 specific kinds of exercise which you can do to build bone density and prevent osteoporosis. Weight-bearing means the sort of exercise where your feet and legs support your body’s weight. These are called ‘low impact’ exercises.
High impact’ weight-bearing exercises like jogging, jumping or running can put pressure on your spine and aren’t recommended for those who have or are at high risk of developing, osteoporosis. 30 minutes per day 5 days per week is advised. Resistance means you’re muscles are working contrary to the weight of another thing or your own body. Resistance exercise strengthens bones and muscles and increases bone density thereby lowering the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.
Muscle Mass
Building muscle also can help protect your joints and increase your balance. Resistance training can be performed at home, in the gym or in a pool. A minimum of two to three 20-minute sessions per week is recommended, working different muscle groups at every session. Improving strength, balance and flexibility in later life is crucial to reduce your risk of falls which can often lead to broken bones. All these types of flexibility exercise can be done on your own at home or by joining a course.
A couple of classes a week are recommended or if you are exercising at home, short 15 minute patterns practiced regularly most days are more beneficial than a one-hour session once weekly. Which Sort of Exercise Is Best For Me? All these exercises are successful in strengthening and building bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures.
Remember
The sort of exercise that’s right for you, however, is the one which you will enjoy and practise frequently! It’s important to choose the kind of exercise that you can most readily integrate into your existing lifestyle. If you are not used to exercising you can begin by taking routine power walks outside, either by yourself or with a walking’friend’, or walk on a treadmill, gradually building your space with time. Or you might find the motivation you want to exercise by joining a dance, yoga or pilates class. Strength training can be done at home or in a fitness center. Just ensure that you stick to a program designed by a professional coach to prevent injury.