Women's Safety Information

Women are facing the problem of bone density loss in constantly increasing numbers. Losing bone density leads to arthritis and osteoporosis. The dangers of this condition are bone fractures which could happen with or without an impact injury. It has been said that over half of the women ages 50 and over with osteoporosis will have a serious fracture in their hip, thigh, or spine.

The recommendation is diet and exercise. This is where yoga will benefit most individuals. Strengthening bones is the key. Yoga, which is a science that was begun over 5000 years ago, has everything you need to increase or maintain bone density. Similar to running, but without the pounding, wear, and tear on your joints, gravity and opposing physical forces are used to strengthen bone tissue.

Standing poses are crucial to maintain and develop bone tissue. The body needs circulation. Bones even need circulation. The standing poses in yoga are designed to have you work with and against gravity simultaneously to increase blood flow throughout the body and, inevitably, build stronger bones.

There are sequences in various styles of yoga that involve jumping. This jumping is used to as a natural way to maintain bone strength. The impact of the feet meeting the earth creates the forces that act internally to increase the density of the spine, hips, and legs. These just happen to be the areas where most fractures occur with osteoporosis.

Another cause of osteoporosis is low estrogen. Estrogen is produced primarily in the ovaries and secondarily in the liver, adrenal glands, and *******. It tells the body to form bone tissue. Therefore, it is important to keep the secondary organs and glands working optimally for post-menopausal women. Yoga was designed and developed to make the internal organs and glands work like race horses. Every cell and fiber of the body is awakened, strengthened, and toned with your yoga practice.

Bone resorption, or the leeching of calcium from bone tissue is another contributing factor to bone density loss. The parathyroid gland is the key monitor of the amount of calcium in the blood. It determines whether or not the bones need to leech or save their calcium. If this gland undergoes stress or disease, the body starts to do the opposite of what it actually needs to and bones begin to get rid of their calcium unnecessarily. Through inversions, forward bends, and breathing in yoga, the parathyroid gland is kept in or brought back to balance.

The body, if viewed as one unit, holistically, is an incredible machine. If a single part in that machine breaks down, it can affect other systems and parts of the machine. If the parathyroid gland breaks down, it directly affects the amount of calcium in the bones. This, then, begets loss of bone tissue. As we age, estrogen production goes down. This also affects bone density. By using yoga as a quiver in your arsenal of protection and prevention, you will stay healthier, longer.



By: Joan T Wright

About the Author:

I think it is safe to say that we all know that if we incorporate strength training as a method of fitness that women are going to gain muscle mass. But, this is only one benefit behind women’s fitness strength training!

Let us call these benefits the magic 7! These are my top reasons for promoting strength training, aside from the given benefit of looking AMAZING.

1. Increase strength. If you gain muscle that obviously you are going to gain strength at the same time. This new found strength will make any women feel more independent and powerful! Just think you may no longer need your significant other to open the pickle jar.

2. Decrease Fat. Creating muscle takes a lot of work from your body. The body’s metabolism will increase so to compensate for the increase need of fuel. And the natural place for this fuel to come? Your fat. So you increase your lean muscle mass and wave good bye to the love handles that every girl despises.

3. Increase bone density. As women grow older their bodies start to make less estrogen. Estrogen is very helpful for keeping our bones strong and unbreakable. With this drop and the natural tendency to decrease activity with age osteoporosis is an almost guarantee these days. BUT with weight training this can be withheld. The strain that you place on the bones during weight baring exercise actual promotes bone strengthening and it is the actions of today that can help you out in the future. So by having a weight training routine women can decrease their risk of the curved poor posture and a broken hip!

4. Fight off the flu. Staying active promotes a healthy lifestyle all the way around, including the immune system. You immune system will stay strong and keep those nasty germs away! But also keep in mind there is too much of a good thing. Sure a balanced workout program will keep the bugs away but over training can actually lead to a decreased efficient immune system! Stay smart and keep workouts 3-5 times per week and never longer than 90 minutes.

5. Hello Dolly! The improvements to your body and the commitment that you put forward are going to make you look and feel better. Confidence in and out of the weight room will sky rocket. People will notice this increase in confidence and your popularity will sore! People will ask you for advice and listen because the aura you shine will have them looking up at you.

6. Never look a day older than 30! Exercise has been shown to slow the aging process. This is probably for a few reasons: 1. regular exercise keeps your body looking young and in shape. And 2. The majority of regular exercisers are also healthy in other aspects. Low levels of alcholism, smokers, heavy “fast food eaters”, and healthier lifestyles all together.etc.

And DRUM ROLL PLEASE

7. Improved life. This kinda goes on from above but fitness is a lifestyle not just a short term solution. Women that turn to strength training will be less likely to suffer from such terrible burdons such as depression, anxiety, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancers, boredom, etc. Weight training is a great exercise because it can be changed all the time. Tired of a certain exercise? Good, do something else!

So there you have it. The top 7 reasons why women should have a fitness strength training program. If there is not enough here to persuade you then maybe you just do not want to be persuaded.

By: Taylor Ryan

About the Author:

A woman who had been diagnosed with osteoporosis came to me for a fitness consultation. She was so stymied by her diagnosis that she had stopped exercising for fear of causing further damage to her fragile bones. The truth is that exercise is both a preventative and a treatment for this condition. There are many safe and effective exercises for osteoporosis, but you need to bone up on the guidelines.

The ultimate goal of exercise for osteoporosis is to reduce the risk of falls and hip fractures. Although most fractures occur in the spine (about 40 percent), a hip fracture has the most debilitating and life-altering effect. About 25 percent of fractures occur in the hip, most often in the upper part of the thighbone (the femur), and in about half of these cases, the individuals are not able to walk unassisted again. Fifteen percent of fractures occur at the wrist, often the result of an outstretched hand to break a fall.

This Five Point Exercise Plan offers you a well-rounded fitness training program for osteoporosis.

1) Weight-bearing aerobic exercise. Why? Gravity exerts a positive force on the bones.

Protect the spine – avoid impact exercise and any jarring or twisting movements. Perform low-impact exercise, like walking, at a brisk pace. Add intervals of faster walking, if appropriate. Incorporate hills, steps and inclines into your route to increase intensity.

2) Strength training. Why? The pull of muscle on the bone stimulates formation.

· Do full-body strength training since loading is site-specific to the bones.

· Reinforce vulnerable fracture sites: the hip, spine and wrist.

· Strengthen the large muscles of upper legs as well as the smaller muscles of lower legs for stability.

· Start with lighter weights and higher repetitions and progress to more challenging weights with lower repetitions.

3) Stretching. Why? To correct postural alignment and prevent a shift in the center of gravity which can increase the risk of falling.

· Avoid spinal flexion (forward bending) in all positions (e.g. standing or seated toe touches, the plough) which places additional forces on the weakened vertebrae.

· Restore normal spinal curves, especially the in upper body. Vertebral fractures and poor posture can cause excessive rounding of the mid-back.

· Lengthen the spine and stretch the torso to maintain height.

· Avoid stretching or strengthening areas prone to fracture when pain is present.

4) Balance, stability and coordination. Why? To enhance the skills that help you recover from a stumble, change direction and prevent a fall.

· Static Balance: Practice stork stance, “tight rope” walk, etc.

· Dynamic Balance: Practice weight shift, start/stop, change of direction.

· Stability: use tools like balance pads, disks, foam rollers and stability balls to improve core stabilization.

5) Core training Why? To build strength and endurance in the postural support muscles of the trunk and pelvis.

· In abdominal exercises, avoid spinal flexion (forward bending, as in a crunch) and flexion with rotation (as in a side crunch).

· Do exercises like the plank and “dead bug” series, which work the abdominals with the trunk in neutral spine alignment.

· Include exercises for the muscles that support the length of the spine, e.g. back extension exercises which require you to gently arch the spine.

Of course, this information should not take the place of guidance from your own physician or other medical professional. Always consult with your doctor before beginning an exercise program or becoming much more physically active.

By: Joan Pagano

About the Author:

DrPhilipDietrich asked:

www.halfhourtohealth.tv Women seem to be the first ones to see their Doctors, and are willing to listen to options out there that makes sense to them. As women get to the age of menopause, they are usually desperate to seek answers to hot flashes, osteoporosis just to mention a few. well then what would be the options out there that are safe and effective to alleviate some of these major issues, well I have great news for you out there, as I searched for the answers for you, I have done an …