In a recent blog post, I introduced you to the Exercising for Bone Health DVD. I hope you’ve been able to take a look at the exercise options to see what’s right for you — maybe even some exercises you never thought you could do. As one woman confided after seeing the video “I’ve always been afraid of yoga, but that looks so easy!”

I’m looking forward to hearing more comments from you — and I’ll do my best to answer any questions you might have about the exercises and the routines we demonstrate.

In the meantime, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind as you develop your individual exercise plan:

• Keep bone-building goals in mind. These include maintaining and/or increasing muscle and bone strength, as well as balance, flexibility, stability, and emotional well-being.

• Develop a regular routine for exercise for the most benefit:

--  Do 20-30 minutes of moderate, enjoyable aerobic exercise every day such as walking, biking, golfing, or kayaking.

--  Do a systematic 30-minute bone-focused workout every other day

• Continue exercising over time. To maintain gains, it’s important that you stay with your exercise activity.

• Make your program progressive. Exercise to 70-80% of your functional capacity and increase intensity as you increase your strength.

• Enjoy your exercise program. If you get tired of what you’re doing — you can change it!

• And remember: always check with your healthcare practitioner before beginning any exercise routine.

Many women find that once they make progress in one area of bone health — such as starting or increasing an exercise program — they’re motivated to make changes in the other areas of their lives as well. If you’re ready to think about this, the following are good ways to start.

• Get all of the 20 key bone-building nutrients 
• Try my life-supporting Alkaline for Life Diet 
• Aim for consistent hormonal balance
• Build digestive strength 
• Support healthy detoxification 
• Enhance emotional wellbeing and reduce stress 

I invite you to explore the website for more information about these and other topics.

We created the Osteo Blast blog as our forum to express opinions and educate the public about natural means of supporting and improving bone health and overall wellness. As part of this forum, we sometimes discuss medical issues and medications, and their effects on bone health in general. However, we cannot advise readers about specific medical issues in this forum. If you wish to obtain advice from Susan E. Brown, PhD, about your specific bone health and nutritional concerns, please visit our Consultations page. Other specific medical questions should be referred to your healthcare provider.