Starting with fire-fighters, then moving to athletes, weight vest training has become very popular. It has been well proven over the last twenty years that weight-training adds strength to the muscles and density to the bones.
Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D., who wrote, "Strong Women Stay Young," an excellent book, found that there were other benefits to weight training as well. Women who completed her studies restored bone, improved balance, controlled weight, toned their bodies, improved flexibility and endurance. They also felt better about themselves than they had in years.
The program recommended in Dr. Nelson's book required leg and arm weights and could be done at home. The negative is that the program requires effort and dedication, and also correct form. Weight training done incorrectly can have harmful consequences.
Weight Vest Studies for Osteoporosis and Osteopenia
In 2000, Janet Shaw did a long-term study at Oregon State University. She found that postmenopausal women who participate in a long-term fitness regimen that includes jumping and "resistance" exercises using weighted vests can prevent significant bone loss in the hip.
Dr Christine Snow, who was the Director of the Bone Research Laboratory at Oregon State University, and Shaw collaborated to start a grassroots exercise program for Osteoporosis Risk Reduction and Osteopenia treatment. The program was spread all over Oregon as an adult education course.
"These kinds of results from an exercise routine haven't been achieved before and they contradict what the medical community has been saying for years". Dr. Snow said. "One important aspect of the study is its longevity. When we checked these women after nine months, the results for bone mass weren't significant. After five years, though, the improvement was significant," she added. "Exercise was as good or better than either estrogen or Fosamax for preventing bone loss."
Another study was written up in the Biological Research for Nursing newsletter in 2003. Eighteen women over 60 were randomly assigned to an exercise group wearing a weight vest and doing strength training for one hour three times a week, or to a control group that did nothing. The weight vest group had significant changes in bone density and in weight loss in 32 weeks.
How to Use a Weight Vest
By wearing a weight vest during your walking time or your most active time of the day you are getting the benefits of weight training without most of the effort. The weights should be as high on the body as possible to give the most benefit to the bones. Weights on the ankles and wrists do nothing to help your core bones and can harm the fragile bones in those areas.
Most weight vests on the market were designed for male athletes and are not comfortable for women. They are hard to get into it and there are weights across the chest. But now there is a vest that has been designed specifically for post-menopausal women for osteopenia treatment and osteoporosis prevention. You can find out more about it at http://weightvest4osteoporosis.com
You start out with only 4 lbs of weight and work up gradually to a maximum of 10% of your body weight. This vest is good for the thin women who are typically most at risk of osteoporosis but it is also good for overweight women to accelerate weight loss and change fat into muscle.
There is one group of women who get especially annoyed at the diagnosis of osteopenia and that is the thin, athletic group who exercise a little obsessively. It actually robs your bones of protein when you exercise to excess. Cutting back on the time of exercise and using a vest will add bone density to this group of women also.
There is really no negative to this kind of weight-bearing exercise. You wear the weight vest around the house for an hour every day until you get stronger. By then you will feel more frisky and want to take a walk or do some rebounding on a mini-trampoline. Add weights according to your own tolerance and take a few days off every month to give your body a rest.
In the interest of open disclosure, I want you to know that I created this weight vest to heal my own osteoporosis. After one year I am improved into the osteopenia zone. I decided to bring this vest to the market so that other women could be helped by it.
About the Author
Pamela Free is a health researcher who loves to discover and design health solutions. You can find her solutions for osteopenia and osteoporosis at http://weightvest4osteoporosis.com