Health, Strength And Conditioning
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Osteoporosis: The Silent Disease
You commonly don’t know you have Osteoporosis until you fall and break a bone or worse.
Studies show the largest segment of the population affected by this disease is elderly women. Just in the U.S. alone, between 25%-30% of the elderly population is suffering from osteoporosis. It affects approximately 30-50 million people.
This silent disease is a major economic burden costing the country billions, and to add insult to injury, the societal and emotional impact that comes with these sorts of injuries.
What is Osteoporosis, you may ask?
It's low bone mass. If you lead an inactive, sedentary lifestyle over your lifetime, your bones will begin to deteriorate, become porous, and lose density.
Correcting it requires an intake of Calcium and exercise. To increase bone mass, the body must be active. Osteoporosis is a neglected problem and is conventionally acknowledged after the onset of symptoms.
After your mom, sister, or grandmother falls and breaks her hip, health experts step in. This is the beginning of the end. These minor injuries start to snowball into other issues or complications she will have.
We’re living in a time of dynamic change, and we should not be complacent about the status quo. Change in healthcare and issue prevention is more than warranted.
How do you prevent and help solve osteoporosis?
Well, that's pretty easy . . . exercise. Yes, movement is a simple solution. It's recommended that weight-bearing, resistance, and balance exercises can benefit one the most.
The issue arises in the amount of impact it creates on the joints. Whole-body vibration machines are an alternative that has shown tangible results with less physical impact on the body. The pressure induces bone formation, and vibration increases growth hormones and testosterone. The problem with these machines is that they're very costly and not easily accessible.
They also are limited because they're compact and you can stand on them. Furthermore, the machine does all the work and minimizes the need for conscious exertion. The problem with that is the body is not learning anything.
This is where Shake can step in. Shake is an exercise concept performed on a large resistant mat.
By self-pulsating up and down and loading the body constantly, you're increasing the tension on the muscles, which is placing positive stress on the bones. This unstable surface not only helps promote bone mass density but also improves balance.
A balanced system lends a hand in preventing falls, which is also a key neuromuscular function. While exercising on these large mats, the vibration transmits energy to your body, which causes muscles to contract and relax dozens of times each second.
The movements increase circulation, muscle strength, and flexibility. These exercises can be performed standing but are just as effective as kneeling or lying down. It's also an activity people of all ages can enjoy.
So if you care for your mother's, grandmother's, or sister's health, get her to exercise or, better yet, Shake.
