Unlock the Bone-Building Benefits of Exercise

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Dear guys,

It’s not even two weeks into 2007, but I can already see that the age-old New

Year’s rededication to exercise is alive and well. I’m sure you’ve noticed

folks flocking to the gyms and walking, jogging, or biking outdoors. Maybe

you’re one of them. If so, I congratulate you!

The reasons behind this enthusiastic commitment to exercise are probably as

varied as the benefits of exercise itself. Regular exercise can strengthen the

heart, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation. It helps reduce

cholesterol and triglyceride levels, strengthens muscle, and reduces fat.

Exercise also helps you sleep, regulates your bowels, and may even slow down

the aging process. I know from my own experience that exercise just makes me

feel better.

However, there’s another rarely recognized benefit of exercise that you should

consider: increased bone strength.

Exercise Your Way to Stronger Bones

Exercise is the single most important thing you can do to build stronger

bones. It requires your body to move against the force of gravity. This movement

promotes the healthy breakdown of old bone matter by cells called osteoclasts

and the build up of new bone matter by cells called osteoblasts.

When this natural breakdown and repair process—called remodeling—is in

balance, your bones stay strong and supple…and your entire skeleton can be

completely regenerated in a period of 10 years or less!

The Best Exercise Choices

Weight-bearing exercises—such as dancing, walking, and jogging—are the best

for maintaining and building bone strength. Strive to do at least 20 minutes of

this kind of exercise, four times a week.

Studies show that a regular weight-bearing exercise program can increase bone

mass by five to 10 percent—even more in those with low bone mass to begin with.

And no matter their age, people who engage in regular weight-bearing exercise

have higher bone densities than people of similar age who don’t exercise.

To further increase bone density, more strenuous exercise may be required. I

recommend at least two sessions of resistance training each week. Have an

exercise instructor at your local gym show you how to start with small weights

you can use at home.

If you’ve exercised in the past—or even thought about it—but have gotten off

track for one reason or another, now is the perfect time to get started again.

With regular exercise, you’ll reap many health benefits...including stronger

bones.

Other Steps for Building Bone

Although I believe that regular exercise is the most important factor in

building strong bones, there are other things you can do for optimal bone

health.

Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet

A natural diet focused on healthy green vegetables can go a long way in

providing the nutrients necessary to help keep your bone remodeling process in

balance. You should also reduce your consumption of soft drinks because their

phosphoric acid content can leach important calcium from your bones. Likewise,

smoking and a high consumption of sugar, caffeine, or alcohol can be detrimental

to bone health.

Supplements Are a Must

Even if you eat a completely natural, primarily vegetarian diet, it’s likely

that this won’t be enough for optimal bone health. Because our foods are grown

in nutrient-depleted soil and our bodies are under frequent stress, we simply

aren’t getting the nutrients we need and our bones are unable to adequately

absorb the nutrients available.

That’s where targeted supplements come in. I recommend you take the following

in addition to a high potency multivitamin/mineral formula:

 

Calcium (1,000-1,500 mg daily)

Undoubtedly, this is the first mineral that comes to mind when you think of bone

health. Certainly calcium is key, but it must be in the proper form in order to

be taken up by your bones. Some of the best-absorbed types of supplemental

calcium are calcium citrate, ascorbate, gluconate, and malate.

 

 

 

Magnesium (500-750 mg daily)

In order for calcium to be properly absorbed into your bone matrix, it needs to

be in balance with magnesium—in a 2:1 or 1:1 ratio. Magnesium also does its own

work to support bone remodeling by promoting osteoblast activity.

 

 

 

Vitamin D (600-1,000 IU daily)

This inexpensive, yet effective nutrient helps control calcium balance in the

body and promotes your body’s uptake of calcium into your bones.

 

 

 

Vitamin K (500 mcg daily)

This little-known vitamin works with vitamin D to attract calcium to your living

bone matrix.

 

 

 

Ipriflavone (600 mg daily)

This bioflavonoid helps to stimulate bone building cells and inhibits cells that

break down bone.

 

Remember, your bones are your structural foundation. Keeping them strong,

flexible, and well-nourished will make a huge difference in what you’ll be able

to do and enjoy this year and in the years ahead. So start—or stick to—your

exercise goals and try a bone-healthy diet and supplement program, too.

Until next time,

 

Julian Whitaker, MD

 

 

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