Buff Bones: movement practices that promote healthy lively bones • Rebekah Rotstein • EAP079

A low reading on a bone density scan does not equal a Fosamax deficiency. Healthy bones are hard, living tissue, but they also have a certain amount of flexibility.

They are designed to bend and absorb shock and stress, and in fact one of the ways that bones become stronger is by challenging them.

We have all heard that exercise and movement is good for the bones. But specifically what kinds of exercise, and which movements are helpful?

Our guest in this episode took on the challenge of finding out how to live and move your way into healthy bones after a diagnosis of osteoporosis before the age of 30.

There are many ways to naturally use movement to strengthen the bones. And there are a lot of movements that you might not even consider as being beneficial, as they seem so simple. But the bones like to be surprised! And they like it when we give them a varied diet of motion and challenge.

Listen in and learn how not only to improve the health of your bones, but inhabit a more capable and resilient body.

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Show Highlights:

We know that movement is important; the question is just what kind of movement is helpful.
Surprise your bones; why jumping and impact are important for bone health.
Self-perception and its relation to movement.
Fascia and bone health.
Suggestions for bone strengthening movement.
The importance of having your bones in proper alignment.
What movements a person with osteoporosis should avoid.
Wrists are one of most common fractures with osteoporosis.
Crawling on the floor and bearing weight through your arms and shoulders can also strengthen your core.
There is a big difference between the amount of calcium in a food and its bioavailability. More does not equal better.
Taking care of your bones in a gentle, yet effective way.
There is more to preventing fractures than just bone density.

The guest of this episode: Rebekah Rotstein

I’m a movement educator and a movement addict. Whether teaching exercise professionals or the average person with conditions or ailments, my intention is to reframe the conversation on movement and the way we explore and understand the potential and options of the human body.

I’ve been a mover since first lacing up ice skates at age 3. (Actually my parents probably helped there.) Through the years I transitioned from competitive ice skater to ballet dancer, training and performing around the country. After working in the sports medicine department at Smith College as a student athletic trainer, I eventually found my way into Pilates, which became the basis of my movement vocabulary. I’ve studied many different movement and exercise forms since and have continued to explore the human body through annual cadaver dissections with Gil Hedley, as well as study with leaders of fascia research, somatics and visceral manipulation.

I was just 28 when diagnosed with osteoporosis which led me to eventually create the medically-endorsed Buff Bones® system, used at Hartford Hospital’s Bone and Joint Institute. This movement system for bone and joint health can be practiced on DVD or streamed online, or through live instruction with certified instructors around the world. I also teach classes on the popular web site Pilates Anytime. I strive to broadly provide accessible options that showcase the beauty of simplicity and the effectiveness in movement in changing lives.

Links and Resources:

Move your bones! Here’s the Buff Bones Website.
Visit Buff Bones on Facebook.
Here’s what Buff Bones look like on Instagram. And here’s Rebekah’s Instagram feed.

Want a taste of how to buff up your bone? Here’s a taste.

Buff Bones: movement practices that promote healthy lively bones • Rebekah Rotstein • EAP079

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