Staying Healthy, Staying Strong, Staying Young

Thanks for the info', Claire!  It's a great reminder about the importance of weight bearing exercise to keep our bones strong.  I'm going to check out that website.  And thanks for starting a positive thread!    Lord knows we need those around here!     Deanna

Claire, do you have a link you can post please?

I'm hoping this new bone section will give women information, confidence and empowerment to ensure we all build up our bone density rather than sit around letting our bones fade away.  I know some women can't exercise much or at all due to other physical problems such as the joint pain from AI's, but I understand that bone pain will be relieved once calcium and VitD levels are restored and bone density is increased.  That is a bit of a catch 22 if exercise is required as the painful joints stop them from exercising.   Do you have any links to sites that can help these women?

I'm no good at running or any aerobic exercises and never have been but I do muscle building exercises every day, especially for my hips where I have osteoporosis.  I also have a vibration platform that I use most days to shake my bones and stress them though the evidence is not clear yet about whether they work.  I also use a rebounder for the weight bearing exercise I need. 

I encourage everyone to get as active as they can as the benefits go way beyond healthy bones.  The pleasure from fattening foods lasts as long as the taste does and then the regret and weight gain can counteract any pleasure, but the gains from exercise continue with feelings of well being and increased fat burning from the muscles, from knowing we are fitter and healthier and working our way to a slimmer body and fitting into nicer clothes.  

Thanks everyone for the positive thread and ruthbru for your encouragement. During rads I forced myself to walk 1/2 a day (at the recommendation of my RO nurse to keep up my energy). I planned to keep up the habit but three weeks out, I realized I missed two days in the last week. I need to get back to the gym and do the bike and weights. Thanks for reminding me to make this a priority. 

JLW, don't you love feeling 15 to 20 years younger?  

Actually if I don't exercise I have more Femara-induced joint pains. Joints need to be moved. In my case, a LOT. I've been exercising daily now since starting treatment for Stage IV with bone mets only.

I am  stronger - even stronger than when I was younger. 
I've regained bone, but that was with the help of Zometa for 2 and 1/2 years. There is a big difference in how you feel when your bones are strong versus when they are brittle. I'm sure it has to do with the muscles supporting the bones. When I jump off my bike now it no longer feels jarring. It feels solid.My balance and flexibility have improved. I added stretching to my routine more than a year ago.
I am leaner and trimmer, but I also don't eat the same way I used to. I cut down on desserts and carbs, in general. I never drink beer anymore (ok, maybe once a year).

•  I feel more energized, although it is still an effort to get to the gym, especially on rainy days like today when I can't take my bike. But, hey, I've managed to stay NED.

Re:  "Otter, an elliptical wouldn't be weight bearing either,  we need to have all our weight on our feet to get the impact on our hips."

But, all the weight is on the feet when using an elliptical machine.  The body is completely upright,  with the weight placed successively on each foot with a motion that simulates walking.  The only difference between using an elliptical and walking on a treadmill or on the ground is that the feet are not raised up off the surface and slammed back down.

It's true that bone remodeling occurs when there is intermittent pressure and twisting of the bone (I'll try to look up how that works later).  So, some people do think impact is important; i.e., the impact of walking or running might be better at triggering bone remodeling ("strengthening bones") than low- or no-impact exercise would be.  Really, though -- if we're concerned about hips and spine, an elliptical machine shouldn't be much different from walking with good shoes and proper technique on a non-hostile horizontal surface.

Plus, an elliptical is much less likely to cause or worsen joint damage than running or even walking.  There is no way I could run, considering the condition of my joints.  I was already developing osteoarthritis 15 years ago.  Walking is fine, except here the daytime temperatures are in the mid- to upper-90's already, and it's only June (and this is the Gulf Coast of the U.S. -- not the "dry" desert heat of Arizona).  Unless I walk really early in the morning, I could easily die of heat stroke before reaching my turnaround point. 

As for official opinions on the question of whether an elliptical machine provides weight-bearing exercise.... here are some statements:

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From the Mayo Clinic website:  page 2 of "Exercising with Osteoporosis..." (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/osteoporosis/HQ00643/NSECTIONGROUP=2) --

"Weight-bearing aerobic activities involve doing aerobic exercise on your feet, with your bones supporting your weight. Examples include walking, dancing, low-impact aerobics, elliptical training machines, stair climbing and gardening. These types of exercise work directly on the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine to slow mineral loss. They can also provide cardiovascular benefits, which boost heart and circulatory system health.

"Swimming and water aerobics have many benefits, but they don't have the impact your bones need to slow mineral loss. However, these activities can be useful in cases of extreme osteoporosis, during rehabilitation following a fracture or for increasing aerobic capacity."

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From FitDay "Weight Bearing Exercises on an Elliptical Trainer" (http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/strength-training/weight-bearing-exercises-on-an-elliptical-trainer.html) --

"What Is Weight Bearing Exercise?:  Weight bearing exercise is defined as any exercise where the bones work against gravity to support the body, or where they work against other kinds of resistance, as in weight-lifting. This seems fairly straightforward, except that there are some activities where a lower amount of resistance creates a question of whether they are weight bearing or not. On popular fitness chat boards, some of the usual suspects are swimming, where the participant works against water instead of the cold hard ground, and cycling, where variable practices include different kinds of resistance.

"Elliptical Machines for Weight Bearing Exercise:  According to most reports by fitness experts, elliptical machines are a great source of weight bearing exercise. As you are pushing down on the pedals, you are using lower body bones and muscles to propel the pedals forward. Add some of the variable resistance challenges that are featured on most elliptical machines, and you have a double dose of weight bearing activity, where the elliptical trainer becomes like a 'weight training machine for the legs.' "

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Here's something about ellipticals from "The Best Weight Bearing Exercise" on the Livestrong website (http://www.livestrong.com/article/394169-the-best-weight-bearing-exercise/).  (Livestrong does offer contradictory information about ellipticals, with one writer saying they are not weight-bearing because there is no impact with the ground.  IMHO, that's not consistent with the definition of "weight-bearing.") --

"Low-Impact Activities:  Although all weight-bearing exercises work against gravity and benefit your bone health, you don't need to give your legs a pounding to access those benefits. In low-impact exercises, at least one foot is always in contact with the ground. Walking, yoga and tai chi qualify as low-impact, for example, as do low-impact aerobics, some dancing routines and elliptical machine workouts. Low-impact activities are beneficial weight-bearing options that are appropriate for most exercisers -- but are especially good options for individuals who are more susceptible to bone fractures, injury or falling. While tai chi and yoga are not necessarily aerobic activities, both help improve bone density, range of motion in your joints and balance."

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Gotta get off my butt and get some exercise now.  I just might wipe the dust off that ol' elliptical and grease up the rails.

otter

Makes sense about ellipticals. This would mean that if you stood on the pedals of a stationary bike instead of sitting, this would count as weight-bearing. Maybe even sitting would count if you had enough resistance (steep hills variation).

Joy, I'm the opposite:  the majority of ellipticals have too short a stride for me.  I'm not that tall -- just 5'6" -- but I guess I must have long legs.  If I can't reach out with each stride, I get all stiff and crampy and the exercise doesn't loosen things up like it should.  I found a decent one at Dick's Sporting Goods, but it's a bit too short, too.

Oh, and re:  "This would mean that if you stood on the pedals of a stationary bike instead of sitting, this would count as weight-bearing."  From what I've read, that's exactly right.  The same would be true for a regular bicycle -- if you're sitting in the seat, it's not weight-bearing; but if you're standing up while pedaling, it is.  I think the key is carrying all the body weight through the bones and joints we're wanting to strengthen, which in our case is mostly the spine and hips (and down through the thighs, knees, lower legs, and feet).

Well, I haven't accomplished much yet, but y'all are making me feel motivated about exercise.  For me, it's a mind game.  Sometimes I wish one of my docs would write me a prescription for exercise ("30 minutes each day" etc.).  I'm really good about taking my prescription meds, so I think that would work. 

otter

http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v17/n8/full/oby200918a.html

This is a Yale study on exercise for breast cancer survivors. Exercise like brisk walking 30 minutes 5 times a week prevented bone loss and reduced body fat.

revkat, it may be that your level of training was high enough to cause a decrease in BMD as posited in the study (quote below):

In postmenopausal women, adipose tissue is the main site of androgen conversion to estrogen by the enzyme aromatase (35). As postmenopausal women lose body fat, their serum estrogen concentrations decrease, which could cause a decrease in BMD. Thus, it is plausible that exercise accompanied by fat loss could have a negative effect on bone health in postmenopausal women. However, in our study, we observed a maintenance of BMD with exercise and subsequent fat loss.

hi girls, re: the stationery bike;

I have one and I just love it.  If yours has resistance adjustment, it absolutely counts as weight bearing exercise, as it is strength training (per the Y trainer and my PT).

So pedal away, and just put those suckers on high!  You do need to work up to it tho, and warm up and cool down at a lower resistance for 5-7 minutes pre and post workout.

I thought I would just jump in here a second because I recently finished a continuing ed. course on osteoporosis prevention. Unfortunately, cycling is not a sport that is very good at osteoporosis prevention. AND I LOVE to cycle!!! Cyclists are more prone to osteoporosis and lower BMD's. I try to figure it out since there is all the push/pull through the pedals and I think that if you were to study it out, you can figure that the push/pull definitely should have a positive impact across the hip joints, but unfortunately, not in the spine. I just have to remember to cross train!

Anyway, the reason I wanted to jump in is this particular course is based on a study of the 6 BEST exercises for osteoporosis and also gave info on nutritional components. The BEST (this is the name of the study) exercise program was based on one of the largest studies on exercise and bone density in postmenopausal women. In this course they reduced the normal 1.5 hour session to a 45 minute exercise session that can be performed 3x/week. The strength training exercises that they list had the most positive effect on bone density. Here is an outline of the workout as per DSW Fitness, Center for Continuing Education:

cardio warm-up (3-5min) - this can be a stationary bike, treadmill, eliptical, etc.

strength training exercises (20 min) - they list these 6 exercises as having the most benefit: wall squat (lean with your back against the wall, feet out and slide down into a sitting position) or Smith (this is a machine) squat, one arm military press (think pressing up over your head in a seated or standing position with just one arm - can use free weights or work up to it using soup cans), leg press (also a machine), lat pull down (machine - or you can rig up theraband over your door), seated rows (machine or you can use theraband here too), and back extension (also a machine OR yoga moves such as the locust pose). They go into great detail regarding intensity where you have moderate lifting days and heavy days. For safety purposes - if you are starting this on your own - better to start off light!

Cardio-weightbearing activity (15 min) - (the key word here is weightbearing!) walking, race walking, gymnastics (can't see myself doing this at my age... although I do try sometimes!), step aerobics, tennis, hiking, soccer, stair climbing, cross country skiing, running, basketball, jumping rope, racquetball.... actually, if you vacuumed your house for 15 minutes at a high enough intensity to raise your heartrate a bit, you could even count that! 

small muscle exercises (5 min) - (In addition to the hips and the spine, the wrist is the third high risk areas for fractures secondary to osteoporosis) This would include abdominal exercises as well as distal extremity stengthening (calves, wrists, hands, biceps/triceps)

cool down (2-5 min) - slow walk, stretching & balance

As far as nutrition is concerned, they found that high fruit and veggie intake is associated with higher bone mineral density. Low intake of Vit. K (found in leafy greens) is related to an increase in hip fractures. They also found that women who had a diet of 1700 mg of calcium per day (combined from diet and supplements) & a dietary intake of iron (from your food) that met or exceeded 8 mg per day were able to maintain or increase their BMD at the hip and spine. They recommend that if you take a calcium supplement that each dose be less than 500 mg for maximum absorption (so spread your supplements out throughout the day). It is important to note (for all the non-milk drinkers) that lactose (milk sugar) helps to improve calcium absorption - possibly by improving solubility! For Vit D, they recommend 15 minutes of sun exposure to the face and neck without sun protection 2-3 times per week (which is super hard in the Northwest during winter!!!). If taking a supplement, they recommend 800-1000 IU per day (this is also the latest recommendation from the National Osteoporosis for those age 50 and older (but I think it might also be for postmenopausal women at any age... but that is my thought). (Here is the link to the National Osteoporosis Foundation: http://www.nof.org/aboutosteoporosis/prevention/vitamind

They also recommend stopping smoking, cutting back on caffeine and soda consumption & avoiding excess protein and alcohol intake. As for the food and veggie intake: 2 and 1/2 cups of veggies and 2 cups of fruit are the daily recommendations.

This was a really comprehensive course, so if anyone has any questions regarding it, I will try to answer! Here's to milk!!!