Why Pounding Your Bones is the Key to Avoiding Osteoporosis
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Women are as much as three times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis. One reason for the discrepancy is believed to be differences in bone mass formation during adolescence.
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Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile. Fractures often occur in the hip, spine and wrist. Both men and women are at risk but women are as much as three times more likely than men to develop osteoporosis. One reason for the discrepancy is believed to be differences in bone mass formation during adolescence. Adolescent boys play rougher than young girls and are more likely to engage in running and jumping sports and games outdoors during early adolescence. Pounding your bones on the ground, as counterintuitive as it may seem, makes them healthy and strong. Any athletic activity that keep you moving on your feet is good for your bones because when the bones work against gravity they become more dense. Bone strengthening activity also makes muscles and tendons stronger which then push and tug harder against the bones, making the bones stronger still.
Walking is a great way to build stronger bones. Every step puts a force on your bones equal to twice your entire body weight. Walking is easy too. Other then a pair of walking shoes and a wide brim hat in the summer you do not need any special gear. City streets, country roads and park paths all work equally as well.
Your shoes should be flat and flexible so that your foot can roll easily with each step. Wear cotton socks to absorb moisture and help prevent blisters. A pedometer is an electronic gizmo that tells you how far you have walked. Although a pedometer is not a necessary accessory, research has proven that walkers who wear pedometers increase their distances more rapidly and also tend to walk longer distances than walkers who do not wear pedometers.
If you think you may need the doctor's OK before starting a walking program then go get it. Otherwise, start out slowly and increase the speed and the distance that you walk gradually. One hour a day is a good goal. You can break it up into segments and even include the walking that you have to do at work or around the house. If you can find a friend to walk with so much the better. Check your community newspaper for walking groups. No matter what your age you can build stronger bones by walking. If you have a daughter aged less than 18, the usual age for the completion of bone mass construction, do whatever you have to to get her out there walking with you. You will be decreasing her risk of getting osteoporosis.
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