You’re likely aware of the many benefits associated with exercise.
Nearly any kind of moderate to intense exercise is bound to help elevate certain aspects of your health.
For instance “cardio” can help to improve Vo2 max as well as working to help benefit the cardiovascular system for better heart health.
Other exercises can work to help build the body’s muscular system. The enlargement of major muscle groups having the obvious effect of helping to make a person stronger and more able to complete certain physical tasks.
What you might not know is there’s another kind of exercise which can actually help strengthen bones.
It’s known as “load-bearing” exercise and when incorporated into a workout regimen it can help fight the onset of one of the most persistent health problems seen by doctors in the U.S.
Load-bearing exercise is any kind of exercise where the bones and joints are subjected to a greater stress than they would feel in stasis.
So for instance walking might be a minimal load-bearing exercise because the force of gravity on each impact of the foot can produce a small amount of stress on the body. Jogging would increase the stress, and a forceful run might increase the stress by an even greater measure.
And all of these can work together to create a stronger skeletal system.
The reason load-bearing exercise is so important to bone health?
The loading of the bone makes them bone stronger in the same way the exercising of muscle groups can help enlarge them.
Dr. Len Kravitz writes:
“Numerous studies have demonstrated that adults who exercise have greater bone mass than those who are less active. The degree of increase in bone density depends on the mode and intensity of exercise, the number of years training, and the age at which training began. Interestingly, higher BMD in athletes has been found at the body sites loaded during their respective sports, validating the principle of specificity elaborated above. As well, certain activities may not apply a sufficient enough overload to cause an increase in bone mass.
Athletes who perform moderate to high-intensity impact activities, such as in gymnastics, power lifting, and jumping activities, have been found to have greater BMD than those performing non-impact or low-intensity activities, such as swimming and cycling. Some elite swimmers have even been found to have a lower BMD than non-exercisers, apparently due to unloading of their bones, which takes place during extending periods of time in a buoyant environment. It is especially beneficial for adults with low initial BMD values to begin exercise programs that enhance BMD, as these are the individuals who will see the most impressive gains.”
These findings don’t refute the claim exercise is beneficial to the body on the whole.
They only go to enlighten us on the various roles exercise play on total health.
If you’re healthy enough to participate in an exercise routine it would be of great benefit to have load bearing exercise mixed in with other kinds.
Doing so will help build a body radiating with total health.
