I have really good news for you today. Because there’s something you do every moment of every day – something so simple you’re not even thinking about it – that plays a vital role in your body’s pH-balancing process.
And chances are, your doctor will not connect it to osteoporosis. After all, we’ve seen that doctors are woefully ignorant of the role nutrition plays in bone health; they’re not likely to consider this easy-to-do yet very important bone health factor either.
When it comes to pH-balanced food combinations as described in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, Savers are well aware of the powerful role food plays in bone health and in maintaining your body’s pH.
But what I’m going to reveal to you today is not about food. It has to do with the alkalizing power of deep breathing and the important role your posture plays to breathe properly. And I’m also happy to share with you a simple stretching exercise that can help you breathe better.
Breathing, and How it Alkalizes Your Blood pH
Along with food combining, proper breathing is of great importance to your bone health. By proper breathing I mean deep, cleansing breaths that are not too shallow or too fast.
It’s a medical fact that extremely rapid, hyperventilation-type breathing can actually cause excessive alkalization of the blood. But the opposite is also true – too shallow breathing causes acid to build up in your body, and here’s why.
When you breathe in a shallow manner, or subconsciously hold your breath and fail to breathe deeply and thoroughly, you not only fail to take in enough oxygen; you also do not exhale completely. That means carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulates in your blood. High CO2 levels decrease pH, leading to acidification of the blood.
In addition, proper breathing improves circulation and digestion, relieves stress, and helps cleanse your body of toxins. There’s more detailed explanation on this important topic and other environmental acidifying factors that are easy to avoid in Chapter 12 of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.
You Might be a Shallow Breather Without Even Realizing!
If you are a shallow breather, you’re just filling the top half of your lungs with air. Your abdomen does not expand much at all; only your chest rises and falls. There’s an easy test you can do to find out if you are breathing properly.
To take truly healthy, cleansing breaths, you need to fill your lungs top to bottom and empty them completely.
Being conscious of how you breathe can be a bit cumbersome at first, but after a while, it will become automatic for you. The first step is to make sure you maintain a…
Good Posture for Healthy Breathing
When you are hunched forward, your lungs and diaphragm do not have room to expand. Your abdominal muscles and ribs are “crunched” while your back muscles are elongated, preventing deep breaths. And if you force yourself to sit upright to catch a few breaths, the muscles are compensated and you’ll find you can’t hold that upright position very long. At first, it seems to make breathing more difficult.
Here’s the secret:
Develop Your Posture Through Exercise, and Your Proper Breathing Will Naturally Follow
If you have the Densercise™ eBook System, you know that it’s the only exercise program specifically designed to increase bone density. But you may not be aware of its role in correcting and maintaining good posture. Because each Densercise™ move has been designed to build your bones and strengthen your muscles.
Toned upper body muscles are necessary to maintain a good posture that will make you feel better and give you a more youthful appearance.
The Anytime Anywhere Chest Stretch
Stretching and strengthening the muscles of the chest are excellent ways to facilitate good posture, as in the exercise described below. This exercise will also help you breathe better and more effectively, and the best part is that you can do it anytime, anywhere.
Here’s how to do it:
While sitting or standing up straight, gently pull your shoulder blades together. Your shoulders should not rise up while you do the stretch. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat throughout the day.
To make this stretch even more effective, try this:
- Place your hands behind your head (your hands will be overlapping).
- Your elbows will be pointing straight out on either side.
- Gently draw your elbows back until you feel a stretch in your chest and shoulders.
- Keep your elbows level; do not draw them or your shoulders upward.
- Hold the stretch for 15 to 30 seconds.
Here are some tips to remember as you do this exercise:
- Feeling tension is normal; pain is not. If it hurts, stop – you’ve gone too far.
- Be gentle with your stretch.
- The stretch should be one slow movement – don’t “bounce.”
- Don’t forget to breathe freely through the stretch.
Densercise™ is chock-full of moves that bring your shoulders, back, and neck into alignment by strengthening muscles in these key areas. And as you grow stronger, the action of the muscles on the bones will enhance bone strength and density.
Improved posture facilitates healthier, deeper breathing, which in turn enhances body alkalinity. It’s astounding how your body works together so beautifully when it’s given what it needs.
Till next time,
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Welcome Frances! I am so glad this exercise is helpful to you. I encourage you to use the Search feature to find more articles on kyphosis, or Dowager’s Hump – there’s quite a bit of information here on preventing and correcting this condition! 🙂
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It appears that I have been dropped from your newsletters, as this is the last one I’ve received. I miss your updates and informative articles. Please add me to your list again if possible.
Thanks-
Sharon, we’re glad you enjoy the e-mails and newsletters! I’m not sure why you stopped receiving them; it’s possible that you clicked on the “unsubscribe” link in one of the emails by mistake – that’s easy to do. To make sure you start receiving them again, just sign up here:
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Thank you Vivian for all your hard work to help all of us. I have been following an alkaline diet and keeping my PH alkaline most of the time for the past 3 years. I do yoga, keep my weight down and take many supplements including high doses of Vit. D, Multi Vit. B100’s,Vit.C, Fish Oil, Primrose Oil,Ginkgo Biloba, Co-enzyme Q10. I have been taking 4 Algae Cal/day and as per your advice been avoiding the strontium boost even though the company keeps recommending it. I just got the results of my bone scan after 3 yrs and I am very disappointed with the results.
A T-Score of -3.0. 3 yrs ago it was -2.7. I was hoping at least it would stay the same. I refused prescription drugs anyway. I am very discouraged.
I have downloaded your new cookbook which looks wonderful and I appreciate it. When ordering I saw the advestisement for TRUEOSTEO saying it is the ONLY calcium supplement Vivian recommends. When I looked it up it said it contained Strontium. Now I am really confused. Could you please clarify this for everyone. Thank you. -
Thank you Vivian for all the information and encouragment at you give out. I really appreciate it. I had some sad results on my bone density today. I don’t know what to do next. I follow a good diet, exercise regularly (yoga and weights 3X-4X a wk.)
My T score was -2.71. My doctor wants to put me on Forteo again. I have refused so far. I was hopeing this test would show improvement. I am on Ezorb calcium, take a liquid multi vitamin and vita D. Is there a better calcium for me to take? I do have your book. Thanks again. -
Dear Vivian i accidently deleted your email the one before the antibiotics. i downloaded stop the bone thieves, but i missed the information. I really love your information. Really do look forward and appreciate the emails, the information you give us is so helpfull.
God bless love and best wishes -
Hi Vivian, thanks again and again ! For your valuable advice and your Program. I am writing again just to warn our friends that I honestly feel that Fosamax caused my severe atrial fibrillation, for which I was hospitalized and for which condition I am now on chronic medication. I had been forcibly taking Fosamax for several years, and was still on it when this happened to me. Besides this, I could feel it harming my throat and digestive tract. I eventually found the courage to make the decision to stop Fosamax and every other osteoporosis drug! I am now doing all I can to follow your advice for this codition, but unfortunately am continuing with the drug for the atrial fibrillation!
Love and best wishes
Crete -
Since I have severe osteoporosis (from a rare, incurable condition that is genetic and untreatable), all the great bone health news you share is priceless. I am so thankful for your knowledge in this area. My nurse practitioner is too!
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I have had your save our bones program for a year or two.
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There are a lot of foods that I cannot consume, do to diverticulitis and stomach problems!
It is increasingly more challenging to digest the foods to keep osteroporosis from taking hold of me. -
Hi! Vivian,
Is Doing Kagel Exercises Really Helpful In Stopping Urine Leakages?
I’d Really Like To Know The Answer To This Question!Got To Go Now. Take Care, And Stay Well.
LOVE, LESLIE (MS. L. CARMEL) -
I have appreciated The Save Your Bones book. Also the free information you give out. But it seems that every email has a buy this or that attached to it. I would love to get the densercise and several other things you have advertised on this site. But dont want to pay any more than I have already for your bone book.
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I was told by my MD that bone density can not be reversed. Is this true?
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I disagree with your MD, Angela! And so do the people on the Save Our Bones testimonials page:
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Breathing deeply – Sounds Good.
Thanks
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hi vivian thanks a bunch for everything you do for us. I have the dencercise and my husband and i do it together. i was in a severe care accident and the hospital was amazed that i didn’t have any broken bones or fractures i walked away with a lot of bruises. have been with you for a long time. bruises gone and back to my senior yoga with my yoga inst, my daughter-inlaw thanks again ruth
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Dear Vivian
I recently found out about you through a friend and I am so happy to finally have somewhere to turn. I found out I had osteoporosis about 4 years ago. I was doing everything right, looking after myself, exercising, eating good food, etc. I was blow away and didn’t know what to do. They prescribed Fosamax but I only took a few doses before I decided I could not take them. I just knew it was wrong. Last year we moved and my new doctor accepted my decision not to take the Fosamx but instead prescribed a Vit D replacement Colecalciferol strong tablet 50,000IU. They do not test to see if you are Vit D deficient but just give the medication out. I do not know if I should be taking them and would appreciate your advice. I am still exercising and looking after myself while incorporating the new things I am learning from your emails. I appreciate your help.
Thank you.
Kathleen-
I am glad you found the Save Our Bones site and are part of the community, Kathleen!
I recommend using common sense when it comes to Vitamin D. We know that we need vitamin D, we also know that we get it mostly from the sun (ideal) and from supplements (less ideal, but necessary). We also know that it’s a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that it accumulates in the body. For this reason, I do not recommend the kind of mega-doses you’re talking about.
There is no cookie-cutter recommendation for everyone, since each of us spends time in the sun for varying times (or no time at all). A good place to start is with the safe RDA level of 400 IUs (as per the Osteoporosis Reversal Program). Then you can build from there depending on the seasons and your exposure to the sun. 🙂
For more on Vitamin D, feel free to read my blog post on this topic: https://saveourbones.com/the-latest-news-on-vitamin-d/
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Thanks Vivian, I was not hydrating properly to say the least and thanks to you I have developed a habit of always having water on my desk and I stop every 1/2 hour to stretch and make sure I have has enough water (distilled with lemon). Now I am creating the habit of good breathing and posture. My aches and pains are nonexistent and I feel great on the 80/20. Your e-mails are appreciated, thanks for sharing! Your program has changed my life. Best to you.
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I am so glad you’ve developed healthy habits, Cherie, and that the Osteoporosis Reversal Program was a part of that! 🙂
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Thanks Vivian for all your advice,which I take on board,but is there anything that could also help when I have a vertebra fracture.I have to be wary of some exercise I have also stopped taking the Alendronic acid which my dr.said was entirely up to me,and have stopped the calcium and only take vit.D.Thanks again
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I am sorry to hear about your fracture, Joan, and I wish you a speedy recovery!
To enhance fracture healing, it’s important to make sure that sufficient bone and collagen building minerals are available, such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, boron, manganese, and copper. Vitamin K and D3 are also very important, as well as B12 (preferably taken with the rest of the B complex) and Vitamin C. Also, some antioxidants (lycopene and polyphenols) help build new bone. Maintaining an alkaline body pH is also very important. All these recommendations are also applicable to the prevention and reversal of bone loss. 🙂
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Thanks Vivian, I have a wedge fracture which does not heal as such,and can be painful at times ,but I am undergoing some treatment (the Bowen Technique) hoping this wil help.I am waiting for a MIR scan to see what else can be done,and any soft tissue damage.Best Wishes for the coming season.
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I wish you a full and speedy recovery, J!
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Is there one good product on the market that has everything in it for great bone health?
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Thanks for the info about deep breathing. It turns out that I have lesions in my intestines after having radiation 14 years ago. I had been practicing gentle yoga as well as step aerobics 5 times a week. Apparently I was doing my intestines more harm than good because I started aching in my lower hips so bad that I feel awful when I get out of bed I ache so much. My gynecologist told me not to do any exercise including walking slowly on a treadmill for at least 3 months. He did say I could go into a pool. I’ve signed up at our local YMCA and will start this week at least twice a week. I am sick that I can no longer do the yoga stretches I so much enjoyed. Thanks to your reminder I will do deep breathing every day. Thanks.
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I’m glad you’ve found a form of exercise you can do in your situation, Jackie! Maybe you won’t have to take a permanent hiatus from Yoga. 🙂
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thanks Vivian. I thoroughly enjoy & appreciate your emails. How do I get a receipe book & a dencerise book?
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Barb, the Recipe Sampler is included with the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. 🙂 You can get all the details about ordering Densercise here:
https://saveourbones.com/densercise/
Thanks!
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Thank you Vivian…great help as always!
Kind Regards. -
Perfect!! This is just what I need when the stress monster starts to move in on me. I’m going to print this off and post it where I can see it easily as a reminder that I don’t have to give in to the stress. Thanks for helping me fight back!!
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Thank you for all your info on saving our bones!
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ThankYou Vivian Best Regards !!!
VIVIAN, THIS IS A WONDERFUL ARTICLE. I HAVE OSTEOPENIA AND AM BEGINNING TO GET HUMPED OVER WHICH I HATE. I TRIED THE EXERCISE JUST AFTER I READ YOUR MEMO AND I BELIEVE IT WILL HELP ME GREATLY. I AM WAITING FOR THE RESULTS OF AN MRI BECAUSE I HAVE TERRIBLE PAIN IN MY HIP. I PRAY IT ISN’T GOING TO BE ANYTHING TERRIBLE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR INFO. FRAN