Did you know that most fractures result from falls? This makes good balance paramount in the fight against broken bones, perhaps as much as bone density and even tensile strength.
So this weekend we’re going to tackle your balance with a fun and challenging exercise I call The Balance Booster.
Why: Preventing fractures is about more than just avoiding the pain and inconvenience of being inactive for a while. Sustaining a fracture can actually induce a whole host of health problems because of processes involved in fracture healing. I’ll explain.
When you break a bone, a complex series of inflammatory responses and reactions are set into motion. This inflammation is a vital part of the healing process; a 2008 study notes that
“A growing body of evidence suggests that inflammatory signals are critical for the initiation of the fracture healing response.” 1
But the problem is that the inflammatory response continues on a cellular level for much longer than needed to heal the fracture. The same study concludes that controlling the inflammatory response would be prudent, because
“The effect of inflammatory cytokines on bone depends on the timing and context of their expression. A single cytokine can have both proregenerative and proresorptive effects on bone.” 1
In fact, normal bone turnover does not resume until several years following a fracture.1
This kind of unchecked inflammation can wreak havoc on your bones and body.
Clearly, avoiding fractures is important on various levels. Thankfully, there are many things you can do to improve your balance and avoid falls that could result in fracture, such as this weekend’s exercise.
How: Wear comfortable exercise shoes for this exercise. Due to the challenging nature of this move, make sure you stand near a wall or chair to catch yourself in case you feel off-balance.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Raise your arms up over your head but keep your elbows bent – think of forming a “U” above your shoulders.
- Slowly lift one of your legs out to the side until your foot is about 12 inches off the floor. Hold it in this position.
- Now lean to the opposite side (you will lean right if you are lifting your left leg, and vice versa). Lean until there is a straight line running down your side and leg. Keep your arms up.
- Come back up to the center, and then bring your leg back in and lower your arms.
- Repeat 8 times (or as many as you are comfortable with) for 1 set. The goal is to do 3 sets on each side, but of course you can work up to this.
Scientifically Proven: Balance Exercises Greatly Reduce Risk Of Falling
There is clear, scientific evidence that regular balance exercises are really effective at preventing falls. When 66 women with osteoporosis were divided into two groups, the group that underwent one hour of balance exercises weekly and also practiced daily exercise at home showed greatly improved balance.
The study concludes.
“…balance training is effective in improving functional and static balance, mobility and falling frequency in elderly women with osteoporosis,” 2
Here’s How I “Squeeze” Every Bone Health Benefit Of Exercise In Just 15 Minutes A Day 3 Times A Week
I realized early on from my own experience that just because I know what kind of exercises I need to do for my bones doesn’t mean that I will actually do them.
You see, there are many different types of exercises that I’d need to do to cover all aspects of bone health and overall health. For example, exercises that specifically address balance, muscle strength, bone density, posture, aerobic endurance, etc. would need to be practiced daily. Obviously, that’s very time-consuming, and who actually has those hours to spare in an average day? I know for sure I don’t!
Thankfully, I solved this dilemma, because I created the SaveTrainer, a comprehensive “bone fitness” on-demand video workout class platform that addresses all of the above aspects of bone health and more.
SaveTrainer covers all aspects of bone health (and overall health as well) and has all the variety you need to fit your schedule and fitness level. In essence, SaveTrainer will greatly improve your life without taking over your life!
The workout classes are simple, but extremely effective. For younger bones, better balance, stronger muscles, improved mood…well, I could go on, but the bottom line is, SaveTrainer offers all those benefits and more.
If you haven’t yet, please take a moment to learn more about this revolutionary exercise platform.
Enjoy your weekend!
1 Mountziaris, Paschalia M., et al. “Modulation of the Inflammatory Response for Enhanced Bone Tissue Regeneration.”Tissue Eng Part B Rev. June 2008; 14(2): 179-186. Web. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2962857/
2 Madureira, M.M., et al. “Balance training program is highly effective in improving functional status and reducing the risk of falls in elderly women with osteoporosis: a randomized controlled trial.” Osteoporosis International. 7 November 2006. Web. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00198-006-0252-5/fulltext.html
Nice balancing act exercise for good bones!!
I’ve been receiving Vivian’s newsletters for years. I e-mailed you recently to say that I quit getting them earlier this year. I miss the articles and the exercises demonstrations. I got a reply that told me to click on something, but I still haven’t received the newsletters. Can you figure out what the problem might be? I really want to get the Save Our Bones Newsletters again. Thank you.
Thank you for all the “Weekend Challenge” exercises, Vivian! I’ve tried each and every one! They’re awesome. I also found some “posture” exercises I thought I’d share here. So, just fyi…
https://www.wimp.com/postureexercises/
– Suzy
I join Kathryn and thank you sooo much for all of the information you send each week to help us to repair our bones. My doctor is learning along with me, and we will both be curious to see how my next bone scan comes out as I told her I was going to try the non-dairy way for two years. The previous two years I followed her suggestions and ate dairy each day and my bone scan was worse. Five more months and I can get another scan. Will let you know the outcome.
I would like to ask a couple of questions that I’m sure should go into an area other than this, but I can’t remember how to do this. Where do I click?
Vivian,
Thank you so much for all your work to help us build our bones.
I have a request that I hope you will consider. I use my iPad exercise programs to help me exercise and would love it if Densercise was on my iPad in 15 minute short videos. I have printed out the program, but it is not convenient and since I am always on the go, convenience is important to keep me doing what I should do.
Thanks again,
Kathryn
I also would love a denercise video of 15 min. exercises!!!
Good Morning,
I was wondering if I could buy just the Denercise Video only?
Thank you and have a blessed day,
Becki
Vivian
What price is this book [sterling] , and how can it be obtained.
Regards,
Peter.
Hi Peter,
You can get more information and place your order here:
https://saveourbones.com/program/#order
The above costs are in U.S. dollars. After you click the Add to Cart button for the product you want to order, take a look at your subtotal at the bottom of the form. Next to the amount, there’s a Change Currency button, which you can click to convert the amount into your country’s currency.
If you prefer to do a currency conversion before you go to the order page, there are many free currency converters online. Just do a search for “currency converter” and choose one.
I hope this answers your question!