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BoomerBones Blog

Welcome to the BoomerBones Blog, where you can read about experiences with exercises, supplements, or treatments. Share what works or doesn't work for you, read success stories, and more.

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Don't let a sedentary job derail your bone-healthy habits

3/25/2014

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I just read a bulletin from our health insurance provider about new evidence citing the detriments of sitting for most of the day. The article called sitting the new smoking, leading to all kinds of health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, joint stiffness, etc. 

We already know that physical activity, specifically, weight bearing exercise is important for maintaining and growing bone. What are some ways to work activity into your workday? 

Something I've tried at work is to sit on a stability ball for part of the day. It makes you more aware of your posture and helps activate your core muscles as you balance on the ball. You many need a large size to elevate yourself to the proper height for your computer.  Sitting on a ball won't lead to an increase in bone density, but it can help strengthen your core and encourage good posture, which will help you perform weight bearing exercise with good form.

Even better than a stability ball is an adjustable workstation that allows you to stand or sit.  Another strategy is to set reminders to get up every 30-60 minutes to stretch, walk down the hall, or even around the block if you can. Breaking up your sitting time helps prevent a slowdown in your metabolism that can lead to high blood sugar and other conditions. Try having work meetings standing up or walking. Drinking lots of water and green tea is healthy and will ensure that you need to get up from your desk more often. Even performing simple exercises at your desk can help activate your muscles and metabolism.  See the Resources page for more articles and ideas about sitting less and exercising more.

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The alkaline diet - key to bone health?

3/16/2014

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Have you seen articles on the web about the alkaline diet? The idea is that foods leave alkaline or acidic byproducts after digestion, and that alkaline foods help maintain calcium in your bones. I found an interesting study  by Susan A. Lanham-New showing a positive effect of eating potassium-rich,  bicarbonate-rich foods (i.e., fruits and vegetables) on bone density. It's published in the Journal of Nutrition.

There's a table in the article that shows the values of different foods on the acid/alkaline scale, with negative values being more alkaline. For example, spinach is -14 and cheddar cheese is +26.  Surprisingly, citrus fruits such as lemons are alkaline (they leave alkaline "ash" in the body). So in addition to eating lots of fruits and vegetables (the study recommends 9 servings a day), sipping lemon water all day can help tip the balance towards alkalinity.  Researchers have not yet shown exactly HOW this helps bones, but the trend seems clear that eating more than 5 fruits and veggies per day is good for your bones as well as for many other aspects of your health. 

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Exercise of the week: Try this at home!

3/8/2014

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All you need for this one is a flight of stairs and a set of dumbbells! 
 I asked my chiropractor what exercises he would recommend that I do to build my overall strength and bone density (in addition to the biodensity machine that I work with once/week).  His suggestion:  stair climbing - adding weights as I practice and focusing on engaging the core muscles.

It only takes a few minutes to get your heart rate up and it's almost as demanding as running. You can do bicep curls with the weights while you ascend the stairs, then just hold them at your sides while you go down. 

Even if you only have 10 minutes to exercise, this one will make you feel like you have had a workout.  And there's no cost, no need to drive anywhere, and if you play music, the time passes quickly.

Finish up with a few stretches, like the leg swings as shown here:




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Does spinach prevent calcium absorption?

3/1/2014

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Q:  Leafy greens can be a great source of calcium, but I've heard that spinach has something in it that actually works AGAINST calcium absorption.  What is that?
A:  Spinach does have oxalic acid in it, which binds with the calcium in spinach. 
Q:  Then should I avoid eating spinach?
A:  No, because spinach does not prevent absorption of calcium from other foods and  has other minerals and vitamins that aid calcium absorption, such as magnesium,  potassium and vitamin K.  So go ahead and toss a handful of spinach into your yogurt smoothie, and you will reap nutritional benefits from the spinach  and still absorb the calcium from the yogurt.

Here are some related articles:

 On vegetables with oxalic acid

The bioavailability of calcium

What's healthy about spinach

Food and your bones

What are your favorite ways of getting spinach and other dark, leafy greens into your diet?  Comments welcome!
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    Author:

    Sue Omanson

    I am a "boomer" myself, and interested in bone density because of a family history of osteoporosis. I believe that the condition is not inevitable, but it is hard to fight in our culture. As a patient, exerciser, friend, mom, citizen, and consumer, I want to share what I've learned.

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