Having trained with Rebekah Rotstein in London recently, I am now a ‘Buff Bones’ instructor and from September will be offering Buff Bones classes along with my regular Pilates mat classes. I am also running taster classes in Cashel on Wednesday 19th June at 9.45am and 6.30pm.
What is Buff Bones? Buff Bones is a medically-endorsed, full-body exercise system of movement for joint and bone health. It integrates Pilates with functional movement, strength training and therapeutic exercise for bone strengthening and balance techniques.
It is safe for those with osteoporosis or anyone who must avoid spinal flexion for any reason, e.g. disk degeneration or risk of herniation. A Buff Bones class involves more standing work than a regular Pilates class. Along with a range of carefully chosen Pilates moves, Buff Bones classes involve lots of squats, low impact from standing moves and hand weights – it’s a lot of FUN and a GREAT WORKOUT for anyone! Spot me in the accompanying photo from training course!
Why worry about bones?
Everyone begins to lose bone mass in their early 30s! During childhood and adolescence (if diet is good and childhood is not sedentary), we build more bone than we destroy, reaching peak bone mass as a young adult. However, sometime in our early 30s, we start to lose more bone tissues than we are forming (because more resorption occurs than formation on the cellular level.) For women, menopause means less oestrogen which means even more bone tissue may be lost since oestrogen regulates resorption.
Excessive bone loss is known as osteoporosis, in which there is also altered architecture of the bone tissue making the bones weaker and more susceptible to fracture. Osteopenia is the precursor to osteoporosis and indicates lesser bone mass than that of a healthy individual but more mass than that classified as osteoporosis.
Exercise to strengthen bone
The good news is that – regardless of age and even in the presence of osteoporosis – bone is constantly regenerating, even if at a slower rate. Bone tissue strengthens in response to pulling and pushing forces from muscle and connective tissue as well as compression from gravity and other forces. We can build bone through weight-bearing exercise, resistance exercise and impact. The Buff Bones® workout integrates this in a specific systematic method!
Look forward to you joining me soon for fun movement for bone health!
Eimear x