Bone-Building Workout
Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:21:12 -0500
Source: HealthDay – 
For older women, the same activities that strengthen muscles can also strengthen bones.
A new study from Scottish researchers provides compelling support that postmenopausal women should get the right kinds of exercise for their bone health.
“Bisphosphonates are the drugs most often prescribed to treat and prevent osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates help to preserve bone mass by slowing down bone resorption. Clinical studies of these drugs have focused on their effect on bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk. ”
But how long is it safew to use these drugs?
Several incidents came together recently to remind me of the difference between “balance” and “balanced.”
1. Reading Yoga for Multiple Sclerosis
“… there are three systems that people use to maintain balance: (1) the inner ear gives a sense of acceleration in any dimension, (2) cutaneous and proprioceptive* information relating to floor forces come from the feet and ankles, and (3) visual data reveals our position and any chnage in it relative to our environment.”
2. Teaching an osteoporosis prevention class where all participants (and instructors) are required to wear shoes.
Although I was able to do the balance poses while wearing shoes – a new experience – I felt like I was missing a lot of crucial data. I was substituting equipment for actual balance.
3. Explaining to a student why yoga is done barefoot.
4. Overhearing a student (not mine) say that he likes to do Tree Pose wearing heavy work boots.
* Proprioception – meaning “one’s own” and perception, is the of the relative position of neighbouring parts of the body. (Wikipedia.org)
For additional information on proprioception:
The Yoga Librarian 