Hello wellness warriors! Let’s delve into an intriguing facet of exercise that is often overlooked.
We often hear about the many virtues of exercise – from heart health, to reducing stress and toning muscles. But how often do we consider its impact on our bones?
In the ever-expanding fitness universe, one discovery by Kevin Deere and his team in a 2012 UK study stands out, gently nudging us to reconsider our understanding of physical activity.
If we were to ask the average person on the street, or even many healthcare professionals, most would suggest that any form of exercise can stimulate bone growth. Unfortunately, this is not true, because new research shows that not all exercise is created equal, at least when it comes to your hip and femur – the longest and strongest bone in the human body.
Deere’s study uncovered that to trigger osteogenesis – that’s bone growth for us non-scientists – our hip and femur bones require loads or impacts of more than 4.2 multiples of our body weight. Deere reported that impacts below 4.2 multiples did not trigger osteogenesis. That’s quite the revelation, isn’t it? It’s akin to discovering your daily walk around the block or yoga class might not quite cut it if bone strengthening is your goal.
This study is supported by the fact that gymnasts that “stick the landing” and heavy weightlifters who exert up to 10 multiples of body weight on their skeleton, have the highest bone density of all athletes. Yet mature lifelong cyclists, swimmers and astronauts can have quite low bone density, because these activities are low-load bearing.
To put this into perspective, when we walk, the load exerted on our bodies is about 1.2 times our body weight. And your morning jog, while a commendable feat of self-discipline, sadly only musters up 2 times your body weight in impact. Even brisk running only takes us to approximately 3 times our body weight, high impact aerobics about 3.9 multiples and walking or rebounding with wrist or ankle weights barely reach 3 multiples. So, all these activities fall short of the ‘osteogenic threshold’ and do not cut the muster where increasing bone density is concerned.
So not even your favourite gym or Zumba class, Pilates, spin class, Keiser or even pole dancing can hit that magic number. While all these activities can be fantastic for strength, flexibility and aerobic fitness, they don’t cross the finish line in the race against osteoporosis. In fact, if they did, osteoporosis wouldn’t be a global pandemic, and we’d save several hundred million dollars spent on osteoporosis medications every year in Australia.
It seems like we must become kangaroos to meet the necessary ‘osteogenic threshold’, right? Not quite. Sadly, for us older folk, the activities that surpass the required osteogenic threshold, like jumping from a height and lifting heavy weights, are quite dangerous, especially if we are de-conditioned and previously fractured. This is vital information for individuals at risk of osteoporosis, a condition where bones become weak and brittle.
But before we all start contemplating how to morph into superheroes capable of exerting huge forces, here comes our knight in shining activewear – the genius called OsteoStrong®. This revolution in natural bone health offers the solution we need, by using special patented equipment called Spectrum™ that emulate impacts between 5-15 multiples of body weight in a slow, controlled, and very safe way, triggering osteogenesis.
And this isn’t just talk. Thousands of OsteoStrong® clients have reported reversing and eliminating their osteoporosis. Plus, OsteoStrong® sessions have been proven much safer than conventional exercise in over 180 OsteoStrong® Centres across the globe. In fact, our clients world-wide have performed more than 6 million OsteoStrong® sessions to date.
The best part? OsteoStrong® sessions only take 10-20 minutes once a week and are always supervised 1 on 1 with a specialist coach. Yes, you heard right. No need to carve out large chunks of time from your schedule or say goodbye to your beloved book club or golf game. And if the thought of a post-workout shower sends shivers down your spine, fear not! You won’t break a sweat during these sessions. Dress as you are, whether that’s a suit, business casual or your comfy weekend attire!
But wait, it gets better. Osteostrong® sessions do not hurt and progress is highly measurable. You can track your bone-strengthening journey, giving you that sense of achievement and certainty that we all crave. The OsteoStrong® system takes us a step beyond the mantra’s of ‘all exercise is equal’ and “no pain, no gain’. By harnessing the power of cutting-edge science, OsteoStrong® offers a tailored, potent, practical solution to boosting your bone and muscle strength, posture, balance, and agility.
And let’s face it, considering 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over 50 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture due to osteoporosis, who doesn’t want stronger bones!
Especially when it’s as simple as dedicating just 10-20 minutes a week!
