General Health Stressed to the bonesStressed to the bones
Our lives are complicated and busy, and so are our bones: they protect our vital organs; store calcium and magnesium; produce blood and other elements; and get pushed and pulled by our muscles for movement. Bone is the second hardest substance in our bodies, but inside bone’s hard surface is a spongy, latticed matrix of tiny holes that allow flexibility, and let our bodies be better shock absorbers.
As living organs, bones continuously repair and reinforce themselves, or regenerate entirely. Cells called Osteoclasts dissolve old bone, creating small holes and
cavities. At the same time, Osteoblasts actively build new bone by filling in the holes and cavities with calcium and other minerals. These simultaneous processes are designed
to constantly refresh your bones, and maintain bone mass and strength by keeping the bones from becoming too porous. A bone too full of holes would be fragile, brittle and
considerably weakened.
Your bones reach maximum mass and density when you’re in your twenties. After that, less use and a decline in either estrogen or testosterone causes gradual and continuous bone loss. Both men and women lose ½ percent of bone per year. A woman’s loss of the spongy center increases to 2-5% per year, while her loss of the hard bone surface increases to 1-2% for the first five years of menopause. Later, it levels out to equal the men’s steady loss of ½ percent.
Fighting the loss of your femurs and tibias is key at any age. You may need less stress in your busy lives, but your bones need more. Weight bearing exercise, and building muscle that stresses the bone is THE way to stimulate bone remodeling. Simply put, weight training to the point where there is muscle fatigue, puts bones under the stress they need to stimulate remodeling. The research also says that bones need a steady supply of protein, along with calcium, vitamins and hormones for remodeling. A protein shake, containing vitamins and calcium, or mixed with milk, will provide the optimal fuel for remodeling bones, while it also nourishes muscles.
Remodeling is always stressful. Make sure you work it to the bare bones.
It’s easy to obsess about and admire muscle mass, but are we thinking enough about bone mass?
Our lives are complicated and busy, and so are our bones: they protect our vital organs; store calcium and magnesium; produce blood and other elements; and get pushed and pulled by our muscles for movement. Bone is the second hardest substance in our bodies, but inside bone’s hard surface is a spongy, latticed matrix of tiny holes that allow flexibility, and let our bodies be better shock absorbers.
As living organs, bones continuously repair and reinforce themselves, or regenerate entirely. Cells called Osteoclasts dissolve old bone, creating small holes and
cavities. At the same time, Osteoblasts actively build new bone by filling in the holes and cavities with calcium and other minerals. These simultaneous processes are designed
to constantly refresh your bones, and maintain bone mass and strength by keeping the bones from becoming too porous. A bone too full of holes would be fragile, brittle and
considerably weakened.
Your bones reach maximum mass and density when you’re in your twenties. After that, less use and a decline in either estrogen or testosterone causes gradual and continuous bone loss. Both men and women lose ½ percent of bone per year. A woman’s loss of the spongy center increases to 2-5% per year, while her loss of the hard bone surface increases to 1-2% for the first five years of menopause. Later, it levels out to equal the men’s steady loss of ½ percent.
Fighting the loss of your femurs and tibias is key at any age. You may need less stress in your busy lives, but your bones need more. Weight bearing exercise, and building muscle that stresses the bone is THE way to stimulate bone remodeling. Simply put, weight training to the point where there is muscle fatigue, puts bones under the stress they need to stimulate remodeling. The research also says that bones need a steady supply of protein, along with calcium, vitamins and hormones for remodeling. A protein shake, containing vitamins and calcium, or mixed with milk, will provide the optimal fuel for remodeling bones, while it also nourishes muscles.
Remodeling is always stressful. Make sure you work it to the bare bones.
It’s easy to obsess about and admire muscle mass, but are we thinking enough about bone mass?
