Building up your “Bone Bank”for Strong Bones
Just as we save up for our kids' college fund, a health bank for strong bones is a necessity for good health. Osteoporosis causes bones to deteriorate, weaken, and fracture easily as we age. 80% of sufferers are women. The good news is we can do something about this! Osteoporosis is largely preventable...The goal is to build up as much bone strength as possible by the time your body stops actively making bone. This occurs when you reach peak bone mass at approximately 20 years of age. Kids are spending more and more time indoors playing video games, watching TV and doing homework. They're not giving their bones a chance to get enough mechanical stimulation for normal growth, and that can compromise bone health. The Solution is...They don't have to lift weights, but they need to do weight-bearing exercise, where the body is working against gravity. A variety of exercise is the key for strong bones. Jumping or running will help to build the leg bones, and tennis, for example, can build up the arms. While activities like swimming or bike riding are good for you, they are not weight bearing, so they won't help with bone strength. We've seen ads and billboards to take the
Healthy Shasta Challenge
This means actually acting on the things you think about for you and your family (eating more vegetables/getting more exercise) and making them a priority.
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