Are you looking for an exercise class to help your Osteoporosis, in Leeds? If so you have come to the right place!
I also do 1 to 1 strength training for Osteoporosis, also in Leeds and you can find out more about that if you click here.
Who is this class aimed at?
The class is aimed at people wanting to get stronger because of Osteoporosis. The exercise class, here in Leeds, is well established and has plenty of regulars who are in the same situation as you. We exercise regularly with a shared mission: to become stronger, to reduce the risk of falls. to keep our spines mobile and strong. We do all this safely with me keeping a watchful eye over everyone. I want you to be doing exercises that are safe, effective and done with good form.
You may want to improve whole body strength in order to reduce the risk of developing Osteoporosis, or stopping Osteopenia progressing to Osteoporosis. This is particularly the case if you are a woman who has entered the menopause or post menopause phase of life. This can often be the time when we lose strength and really need to work to maintain it.
If you have broken a bone and want to regain strength in a safe environment with an teacher to advise and guide you this class would be ideal.
Miriam says: “This is the Holy Grail of classes for those who have osteoporosis! It is the only class I have found in Leeds and Alison has many qualifications to be able to run this class, including having Osteoporosis. It is so informative as Alison not only demonstrates the moves to help strengthen our bones but also explains in detail how each exercise benefits us and specifically what areas each exercise strengthens. I would highly recommend this class as I’ve learnt so much to keep me safe from fracture during exercising which in turn has raised my confidence.”
What happens in my exercise for Osteoporosis class?
- Strength training. From the calf muscles right up to the shoulders and arms. This builds muscle but in the long term it impacts positively on bone health if we work hard enough and consistently. Any strength training improves the resilience of the body and reduces the risk of falling.
- Balance and stability work. This is crucial if you have Osteoporosis because if you have brittle bones and then fall, there is a greater risk of fractures.
- Spine safe movement strategies. We practice exercises that can then become an everyday strategy to keep the spine safe whilst perform daily activities such as tying shoe laces, loading a washing machine, gardening. To be honest the list of daily activities is endless!
- Spine Mobility. If you have Osteoporosis then the individual bones of the spine, the vertebrae, are at risk of spontaneously breaking, or breaking if you fall. The spine is more resilient if it is mobile, well aligned and moves well. We work on this: aligning the spine back to an ideal shape and getting it moving. We go gently and safely at all times.
- Skipping & hopping. One of the best ways of preserving and improving bone density in the thigh bones is by skipping, hopping, side jumping or jogging on the spot. We do 5 minutes of this with music to make it more fun. This can be quite vigorous, but I always give gentle alternative movement options.
A word about Wolff’s Law
If you have Osteoporosis, you are probably taking medication to help you. Then you might ask, “Why do I need an exercise class for Osteoporosis?”
Well, partly to help reduce falls risk and learn efficient movement strategies and generally get stronger. but also because of Wolff’s Law. In really simple terms, bone is mechano-sensitive: it reacts to push and pull forces and loads placed on it. The more you jump, push, pull, and generally resist the pull of gravity, the more you signal to the bones to get stronger. There is a shortish explanation here.
And another explanation in video format:
In other words, it isn’t just chemo sensitive. That is, it responds to chemicals in the form of drugs that we take. Our bones need more than that. They need us to push, pull and place load on them! After all, if you wanted to make your muscles stronger, you wouldn’t just take a pill would you? So why do that with bones?
If you have Osteoporosis or Osteopenia, you need to add strength training into the mix, so why not try my exercise class for Osteoporosis in Leeds?
What doesn’t happen in class?
- We do not work lying on your front or your back on a mat. Class is from standing, chair based, on all fours (hands and knees) or side lying.
- You find that everything is too hard. We are trying to improve bone health, and that is harder than aiming solely for muscle strength. If you want to keep the bones healthy and limit the onset or progression of Osteoporosis or Osteopenia you need to consistently work hard. I try to strike a balance between working as hard as possible, in order to signal to our bones to get stronger, and things being too difficult. Within the hour I mix things up to balance out the intensity, body part being worked etc. The exercise is hard but mentally you adjust and I won’t push you to do things you are not comfortable with.
- You have to miss out on parts of the class because of injury or discomfort. I have alternatives to every single exercise and also for the all fours (hands and knees) position. For example, if you cannot squat, you sit to stand from a chair. If you cannot do a shoulder raise with an exercise band, you do it, with no band and just bodyweight. If you cannot do a press up from all fours then you do wall press ups.
I have published a number of blog posts about exercise and Pilates for Osteoporosis and my latest one is about my own experiences following my own Osteoporosis diagnosis. You can read it here.
As well as my background in Pilates, I am a qualified Gym Instructor and have done specialist training for working with people with Osteoporosis and Osteopenia and you can read about my BuffBones training here.
Exercise for Osteoporosis class details
| Location | Time | Leader |
|---|---|---|
| Moor Allerton SSC | Fridays 10:30-11:30am | Alison |
Buy a 5 session Pre Pay card for £40
Please note: With your pre pay card you still have to book each class. You DO NOT have to take your 5 classes consecutively.
Buy your ONE TIME ONLY first pre pay card for £30
Please note: With your pre pay card you still have to book each class. You DO NOT have to take your 5 classes consecutively.
We recommend that you set up an account for the booking system. It makes the booking process much simpler. You can do that at the same time as booking your first ever class (or any class).
You can log in here.
IMPORTANT: If this is the first time you have done Pilates with us, please can you fill out a very short Health Questionnaire before you attend class. (It only takes 2 mins). It is necessary for your safety, our planning and for our Insurance purposes.
