I have always thought I was fairly strong. I’ve been active all my life, with very few obstacles to walking, swimming, or other types of exercises. So it came as a surprise when my DEXA Scan showed that I have osteopenia. Both of my parents and my sister had hip surgery, so it shouldn’t have been a total surprise.
It was time to modify my lifestyle, so I began making a few changes in my exercise routine and diet. It is a process. And more successfully done as a family, so I recruited Wayne’s help, and we began to look for ways to increase our calcium intake.
Improving bone health
I discovered that increasing my bone health can be tricky. Calcium needs to be paired with other things, such as Vitamin D and Magnesium, so that it can be more readily absorbed. Other foods that contain high amounts of calcium also contain oxalates, which can hinder our body’s ability to absorb calcium. For example, Turnip greens, kale, spinach, and collard greens are all high in calcium, but spinach and collard greens are also high in oxalates. An estimated 40% of the calcium is absorbed from kale vs. only 5% of spinach. There are also calcium supplements your doctor may suggest.
The other area we set out to improve on is exercise. The line from the Borg Collective in Star Trek states, “Resistance is futile”. The Borg, however, was not talking about our bones. When it comes to bones, Resistance is necessary. Even though Wayne and I had been swimming and doing aerobics regularly, those are not the type of exercises that strengthen the bones.
Bone help online
When it comes to resistance exercise, I turned to YouTube for help. After lots and lots of searching, I found a couple of trainers that seemed to offer sensible exercise routines and plans. They both offer osteopenia and osteoporosis exercises to strengthen our bones. There are many others out there, but I like these two:
Osteocoach Ray Hinish, Pharm.D.
Front Row with Ed and Elizabeth
Your doctor or physical therapist can also provide you with a list of good resistance exercises.
A word of caution. When I embark on something new, I typically go all in. Resistance training, however, needs to be slowly incorporated into your life so that you do not experience severe muscle pain. So, common sense wins the day in order that you won’t experience back pain like I did.
Bones are always changing
Bones can remodel themselves based on how much you use them. With resistance exercises, your bones can become thicker and stronger to handle the extra stress. But if you don’t move much or are confined to bed, your bones can get weaker and thinner, making them more likely to break.
Bone health depends on two main types of cells:
- Osteoclasts: These break down old bone so it can be replaced.
- Osteoblasts: These build new bone where it’s needed.
The right balance between breaking down old bone and building new bone keeps your bones healthy. If this balance is off, it can lead to bone diseases.
Bone density and Caregiving
How can I help my loved one with dementia do exercises to help their bone density?
Good question. If you are a caregiver for someone struggling with thinning bones, there are options. Try adding calcium-rich foods to their diet and incorporating basic resistance exercises, and perhaps even a weighted vest. But, before you do any of these things, consult their health care provider for a tailor-made strategy.
Along with dietary and exercise considerations, the third option would be medications. That would be a discussion for you to have with a medical professional.
Bones: More Than Just Support
While researching bone health, I came across something surprising. Bones are more than simply a scaffolding for our bodies; they are also involved in the body’s communication system. Of course, they help give our body shape, protect our organs, make blood cells, and store minerals like calcium and phosphate. But scientists have now discovered that bones also act like an organ, doing many jobs and even talking to other parts of your body.
In 2007, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center identified the skeleton as an endocrine organ when they showed that bone cells secrete the hormone osteocalcin.
An endocrine organ is one that makes hormones that are released directly into the blood and travel to tissues and organs all over the body. Endocrine glands help control many body functions, including growth and development, metabolism, and fertility. Some examples of endocrine glands are the pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands. This discovery challenged the traditional view of bones as merely structural and calcium-regulating organs.
But wait, there’s more!
A helpful article on darebee.com highlights and explains that fresh studies show cells deep in the brain communicate with skeletal bones through hormonal messaging. This places our skeletal framework at the very heart of the body/mind connection, with hormonal messengers secreted by the bones playing a key role in age-related cognitive decline.
This is important because understanding how bones and the brain talk to each other could help us find new ways to treat diseases. For example, certain exercises might help people with brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s because of the helpful chemicals bones release during physical activity.
So, it turns out that bones are much more than just a framework for your body. They are active, smart organs that sense movement, talk to the brain, and help keep your whole body healthy. Taking care of your bones doesn’t just help you stay strong—it may help your brain too!
For additional information, click below for a podcast by Peter Attia, MD with a more in-depth discussion regarding bone health. Navigating bone health: early life influences and advanced strategies for improvement and injury prevention
Has your world been touched by dementia?
My book, “Finishing Well: Finding the Joy in Dementia“, is a collection of stories and tips about doing life with my Mama. May it encourage and inspire you to find joy on your own, unique journey.