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26 asiaSpa India January-February 2015 asiaSpa India January-February 2015 27

A

AGE MANAGEMENT

Posture and muscle

strengthening

exercises

While weight bearing exercises

strengthen bones, there are

other ways to build muscles

and prevent pain and

problems arising out of

posture related issues.

• Yoga: Yoga helps in balancing
  the body and making it more
  flexible. In the long run, this
  prevents injuries to ligaments
  and muscles.


• Posture exercises: If you
  spend hours every day
  crouched in a chair in front of
  a computer, chances are high
  for your spine to injure itself.
  Posture exercises that help
  correct drooping shoulders,
  relieve a crouched back, and
  straighten the neck keep the
  spine bones healthy.


• Body balancing: Body
  balancing is also crucial,
  especially in older people as it
  helps improve the equilibrium
  and balance of the body
  preventing falls and fractures.

Let your bones say cheese as they get some strength with bone

management through diet, exercise and lifestyle transformations,

says Dr Rajeev K Sharma

bone

of healthy

contention

I

f you could walk around with a tag that

said, ‘fragile bones, handle with care’,

perhaps, life would have been simpler, and

safer. Unfortunately, that’s not possible and

the fact remains that bones are prone to

breaking and a number of health problems.

Not just that, bones play multiple roles in the human

body. From protecting the internal organs like heart

and lungs and ribs, to forming a base structure for

muscles and ligaments, bones are also a storehouse

for reserve minerals in the body. Thus maintaining

bone health is crucial for long-term health and

wellbeing. Bone and joint problems like osteoarthritis

are a major concern among the elderly. Much like all

other parts of the body, bones too are affected by the

weakening process of ageing. Weakening bones not

only make people susceptible to fractures, they also

restrict movement and degrade quality of life. Hence,

retaining bone health is also a crucial aspect of age

management. This is a long-term investment that

has to start early in life.

According to International Osteoporosis

Foundation, osteoporosis or the brittle bone

syndrome causes more than 8.9 million fractures

annually across the globe. This translates into an

osteoporotic fracture every three seconds. As we age,

the rate of loss of minerals in the bones overtakes

the rate of bone formation. By the time, one reaches

the sunset years, bone depletion becomes so huge

that the bones are almost fragileor porous, hence, the

term osteoporosis or ‘disease of the porous bones’.

Loss of bone density also causes fractures of

the spinal vertebrae that are extremely painful

and debilitating. Apart from osteoporosis, arthritis

related deformity can also hit the bones and joints

in the elderly.

So in order to keep your bones in good shape, you

must follow simple steps like following a healthy

diet, living a healthy lifestyle and exercising, that will

help you achieve a near-perfect bone condition, while

preventing or minimising bone problems.

Have your daily dose of calcium and

vitamin D

99 per cent of the calcium in our bodies is stored in

our bones and teeth and supports the structure of

these organs. Hence, the single most important thing

needed for sustaining healthy bones is calcium. It is

recommended that an adult should have 1,000 mg

of calcium intake daily to make sure the depletion

in the bones is not severe. At the same time vitamin

D is extremely important to enable the body absorb

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