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HEALTHY WOMAN: STRONG BONES

Written by Ginger Southhall, DC | Photos by Cory Sorensen

Published June/July, 2001

Strength training wards off osteoporosis.

Imagine if a headline read, "30-Year-Old Woman Diagnosed with Osteoporosis." You'd probably think, It can't be. It must be a misprint. You may have thought osteoporosis only strikes little old ladies, but this silent thief is sweeping the nation, largely due to unhealthy lifestyle habits starting in childhood. It's literally stealing bone out from under us at astonishing rates. But unlike wrinkles, gray hair and other common effects of normal aging, osteoporosis is not inevitable. It can be prevented, slowed and even reversed if the proper steps are taken now, while you're young.

Tone Those Bones
The National Osteoporosis Foundation defines osteoporosis as "A disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and increased susceptibility to fractures."

Since you're already strength training, you're enjoying the benefits of a toned physique, but did you realize you might be ahead of the bone-density curve? Lifting weights is an important means of preventing osteoporosis. Think back to the last time a callus developed on your heel. This was simply your body's response to the mechanical stress your shoe placed on your heel, therefore creating a thicker skin to protect itself. A similar phenomenon occurs with bone. When lifting a weight, the muscle pulls on the tendon to which it's attached, and that tendon then pulls on the bone. This mechanical loading in turn makes the bone grow thicker and gain mass to protect itself while under stress, thus leading to stronger bone.

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