Happy New Year! Have you considered your bone health? Different conditions that could increase bone loss, like celiac disease, Crohn’s, cancer meds/treatments, too much cortisol the stress hormone, and in my case thyroid medication. It’s sneaky because you don’t feel a loss of bone unless you get a fracture possibly. Asymptomatic fractures happen.
Recommendations from the National Osteoporosis Foundation to prevent fractures.
- Get enough calcium and vitamin D and eat a well-balanced diet.
- Engage in regular exercise.
- Eat foods good for bone health, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid smoking and limit alcohol to 2-3 drinks per day.
I personally have a lot of risk factors. I’m female, have a small frame, my mom has osteoporosis, I’m on thyroid meds, I used to smoke and in college, I definitely drank excessively! Due to all these risks I went ahead and got a DEXA (the screening technique dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) to get a baseline reading. Sure enough, I have low bone mass or osteopenia.
I’m proactively working to improve my low bone mass by re-mineralizing through my diet and exercising in ways that will not increase my risk of fracture but build my bones in the most fracture prone sites (Vertebra, hip & wrist). Movements that increase the risk of fracture, especially in the spine:
- Loaded spinal flexion, think of abdominal curls or traditional sit-ups or inversions like a Pilates rollover or plow in Yoga.
- Loaded spinal rotation, especially combined with spinal flexion, think oblique crunches.
- Loaded lateral flexion, like side bending to end range of motion.
I love Pilates but higher intensity & higher load on my bones will stress my bones in order to get them to respond to get stronger. This safe for low bone mass routine can help anyone wanting to maintain strong bones.
Foam roll – I start with rolling to help get my circulation going and work out any tightness from whatever else I’ve got going on. If you don’t own a foam roller you can improvise with tennis balls, lacrosse balls, dog balls, etc. Get creative!
- Mid-back – shoulder blade area
- Lie on the roller for an amazing chest stretch and back massage rolling back & forth
- Glutes & Piriformis
- Quads
Breathing & pelvic clock – check out this tutorial that starts at 1 minute
Bridges 3-5x each variation
- Articulated – think about just the tailbone curling up then lengthen the pelvis up as you reach your knees away keeping your ribs softening down. Find a nice line from your shoulder joint, hip joint & knee joint.
- Hinge – think about pressing up your hips to find your bridge & for extra challenge use weight on top of the pelvis.
- Hip lift w/reach – ball in b/w legs on the wall. Think of just hoovering your pelvis up keeping neutral in your spine. Notice which side feels harder.
Clamshells with a resistance band with feet against the wall. If you don’t own a resistance band, you can use a pair of tights to give you something to work against as you externally rotate your leg, 15 reps on each leg.
Book openers – 4 reps to each side. Keep your hips stacked and think of getting taller as you spiral. Try for 75% range of motion vs full-on rotation if you have low bone density.
Reformer supine arms – Sets 3 Reps 5
- Add in 5 single leg lowers
You can tie a resistance band around a doorknob to replicate this exercise. Monitor that your pelvis stays neutral vs arching or tucking under. Think of not moving the pelvis, but use your breath on the exhale to soften the ribs down to activate your core & keep it there.
Reformer lunge – sub a kneeling lunge
Mat Pushups 3x – We want to hinge forward vs rolling down with low bone density. You can bend your knees as much as you need to get your hands onto your mat to walk out & find your plank. Try for 3-10 pushups keeping elbows towards your ribs vs out to the side. You can perform them on your knees to modify. Perfect weight-bearing exercise for the wrists.
Three-Way Squat 3 sets
- Stand on one leg and reach out and tap your heel in front of you as you squat down.
- Then take your leg out to the side so you resemble a speed skater.
- bring your leg back behind you
This also works on balance for fall prevention.
Jumping jacks 1-2 minutes
if you have a T-score greater than -3.0, you may need to do a low impact version. Always check with your healthcare provider and listen to your body.
All the rest do 10 to 12 reps; Rest for 30 seconds; try for second set
TRX pull-ups – you can use a pull-up bar or try resistance bands hooked up on a door anchor
TRX chest press – same as above you can try a resistance band facing away from your anchor
Deadlifts with kettlebells – I put shoes on and I’ve got 2 15lbs and I’m fatigued by the time I get to 12. If it’s easy you need more weight and if it’s too hard try lighter. I’ve used a barbell, dumbbells’, even stuff in a box that weighs a lot.
Weighted squat to a bench – I used 2 10lb kettlebells, again play with what weight challenges you.
Seated on bar footwork – you can sit in a chair and tie a resistance band around the bottom legs of a chair, place your lower leg in to perform knee extensions with the resistance.
Squat to Row using Reformer – Standing in the well 1 spring on with footbar down. You can replicate with a resistance band hooked up to a door anchor.
Bicep Curls – I used 8lbs
Triceps extensions – I used 5 lbs.
Cooldown:
Try Ladder Barrel stretches on a fitness ball for extra balance challenge, chair or standing.
- Hamstring stretch
- Inner thigh stretch
- Quad stretch
- Hip flexor stretch
- Figure 4 stretch
- Groin stretch