How Your Bones Changes with Exercise

How Your Bones Changes with Exercise: https://youtu.be/1gToyjm4NNA?si=KXqJG0EJTlRMa0Ri

From Institute of Human Anatomy

Summary

How space explorations taught us about bones

What we learned during our trip to the moon. Extremely fit astronauts when returning to earth had lost a significant portion of their bone density while in zero gravity.

Exercise and physical activity can help maintain and increase bone density. The other amazing aspect about spongy bone is that it will form and make adaptations depending on the daily stresses that it receives. In other words spongy bone is a dynamic organic structure that continues to evolve and change shapes as our behavior changes. Think of it similar to the infrastructure of a major city. Over time our the city will add more roads, highways, etc depending on variety of factors. Populations growth for a city determine where roads get built. New road leads to new businesses and be definition more movement of people and things will determine what gets builded or what structures need to be removed. Our bone structure behaves in a very similar process. The more we use and stress our bodies in a specific movement. (IE lifting heavy boxes daily) The more adaptation happens within those specific movements.

Opposite is also very true. As we age. The advice that is provided in doctors office and in social media, Is to limit strength training, and other forms of physical activities, for the simple fear of injury or accidents. (Injury happens - Typically caused by stiff muscles performing movements beyond there current limited range)

Unfortunately, as it turns out the general accepted medical guidelines giving to seniors today, “Avoid heavy weight training, and limit physical activity to a moderate level” Where the opposite advice should be prescribed for slowing down muscle degeneration and bone loss.

New studies have shown that strength training can significantly help your body maintain muscle and live a robust and active lifestyle well into your last decade.

If we consistently apply stresses on our bodies, then our spongy bones will continue to adapt and get stronger and thicker. The reverse is also true. If our physical activities slow down, then our spongy bones will adapt to a lower impact environment by weakening its structure and density to dangerous levels for daily activities.

There are two different types of stress we can apply to our bone structure. Both pushing and pulling forces should apply. Essentially exposing the bones to both compressive and tensile forces.

◦ Compact Bone Tissue- or Solid Bone

◦ Outside bones is the compact bone tissue. This is the area with doctors can measure bone density. This type of bone is primarily made up of Calcium and Phosphate

◦ Spongy Bone-Tissue - is made up of tiny beams of bones-called (Trabecular) which translates into little beams. There shape, orientation, and artcutecture adapts depending on stresses made from our daily activities.

There are two very different substances inside the bone tissue. An organic substance that gives bones its tensile strength

And inorganic substance that gives bone it compressive quality