Cas can be seen from a study by Ministry of Healthto avoid or delay the onset of Osteopenia which can occur after menopause in women and in senile age in men, the primary prevention of osteoporosis must start from the early stages of life. In fact, bone tissue develops during childhood and adolescence, to reach, around 20-25 years of age, the so-called peak bone mass (maximal bone mineral density), the value of which influences the probability of manifesting later osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis, prevention starts young!
From this moment and until menopause in women and 65-70 years of age in men, the bone remodeling processes remain in balance, unless particular diseases, conditions or pharmacological therapies are present.
Subsequently, resorption tends to prevail over the formation of new bone and the skeleton begins to lose minerals resulting in a reduction in bone mass. Therefore, suboptimal bone growth early in life impacts skeletal health as negatively as bone loss later in life.
What is osteopenia?
Osteopenia is a condition characterized by a reduction in bone mineral density (BMD or BMD in English) below normal values, but not so severe as to be classified as osteoporosis. This is one intermediate stage which indicates a increased risk of developing bone fragility and fractures. The measurement takes place via the T-score value obtained with the bone densitometry (DEXA): we speak of osteopenia for a T-score between -1 and -2.5.
According to statistics, about 30-50% of women over 50 presents osteopenia, especially following menopause, due to the decrease in estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, hormones essential for maintaining bone health.
Nutrition and lifestyle to prevent osteoporosis
To protect bone health it is necessary to maintain a balanced and correct diet and a healthy lifestyle. To “build bone” in pediatric age it is very important to take calcium and vitamin D through correct nutrition. Adequate amounts of dietary calcium are necessary in both sexes and subsequently to minimize bone loss. For vitamin D, at all ages, appropriate exposure to sunlight is also important.
5 essential things to know
1. adopt and/or maintain an active lifestyle, practicing a regular physical activity
2. follow avaried and balanced dietta, maintaining an optimal body weight
3. hire adequate quantities of calcium and vitamin D and expose yourself to sunlight regularly
4. reduce salt consumption
5. avoid smoking and alcohol abuse.
Osteoporosis, training at least twice a week is essential to prevent it (Getty Images)
Why training prevents Osteoporosis
Choosing an active lifestyle helps prevent this pathology, which is also widespread among young people. There consistency is the first thing: motor activity must be continuous, at least two/three times a week. To increase bone mass you need to increase muscle masswith counter-gravity activity, where the muscles have an active contraction and are mechanically stressed: walking, running, dancing, doing weights, free body gymnastics, Pilatesare all activities that increase bone density. Swimming and cycling train the heart but they are gravitational unloading activities and do not affect the increase in bone mineral density.
Dexterity and motor control
As the Professor Gianluca Galimberti, head of the rehabilitation team at the Humanitas hospital in Milan«If you already suffer from osteoporosis, physical activity should be moderate in both intensity and duration. The exercises must be aimed at dexterity and motor control rather than power. Given the state of bone fragility, it is of primary importance strengthen the parts of the body most subject to fractures: femur, vertebrae, wrists».
The help of Pilates against Osteoporosis
Pilates, in this, is an excellent solution, offering the possibility of strengthen without putting too much strain on the joints.
Of course they are sports that can cause bone trauma should be avoided or that overload the facilities such as, for example, skiing or tennis.
Three particularly useful exercises are:
Squat with ball against the wall behind your back
Shoulder Bridge, the classic “Bridge”
Easy push-ups.
Who is Paola Miretta
Paola Miretta he is a Personal TrainerYoga and Pilates Director and founder of Fitness Boutiquebased in Piacenza and followed by a large audience of students from all over the world on Zoom.
Paola Miretta, personal trainer, Yoga and Pilates director
I have always loved movement, understood as physical and mental change. I associate sport with the figure of my father, who took me to the pool as a child, saying that swimming would give me an “appetite” and strengthen me. My first element, in fact, is water. Competitive swimming characterized my adolescence.
I go from swimming to asphalt, always thanks to my father, who gives me my first running shoes, a pair of white and yellow Mizunos. I dedicate myself to endurance running, at least until my twenties. I discovered the world of fitness during functional recovery from an injury: first the weight room, then the group courses.
I am passionate about musical fitness, energy in time with music, sharing movement, joy and fun, things that I miss in individual resistance training, in the water and on the road. My journey as a fitness and personal trainer begins here.
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