Men with prostate caner often receive
hormone therapies to reduce their testosterone levels, which in turn decreases
the rate of prostate cancer growth.
However, this treatment does have its side effects, one of which is
osteoporosis or the thinning of bones that can make them easier to break. To minimize the chances of this happening you
need to prioritise activities that encourage the body to lay down more calcium in
your bones.
Exercise is a good way of maintaining your
bone health especially if it is weight bearing or includes resistance
exercises.
Weight bearing exercises are any exercise
where you carry your body weight such as walking or, if you are up to it, skipping,
bounding or jogging. Swimming, though
good for your heart and lungs, is not an ideal exercise to increase bone
strength as the water supports your body weight. Weight bearing activities
stimulate your body to increase the amount calcium in your bones, making them
stronger. The target is to do theses
exercises on a daily basis but start at a level you are confortable and
gradually build up. Every step counts.
Resistance exercises are exercises where
you use weights to increase your muscular strength. If you have strong muscles, the body is once
again encouraged to lay down more calcium in the bones. You will want to look at doing three strength
training sessions per week with a day off in between. Aim to do eight to ten exercises that cover
all your major muscle groups. The weight
you use should be moderately heavy to heavy, in other words you shouldn’t be
able to lift it more than 12-15 times without needing a break.
Alongside the exercise it is important to
also look at your other lifestyle factors such as ensuring you don’t smoke, avoiding
alcohol and caffeine and getting enough calcium.
You get calcium from your diet and it is
found in dairy products, green vegetables, fish, whole breads and cereals. To help your body absorb the calcium you need
to make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D. Your body makes Vitamin D from
the sun so if you go outside in the sun regularly you will probably be getting
enough (just make sure you are being sun
smart). If you don’t go outside much in
the sun you should consider taking a Vitamin D supplement or eating foods such
as oily fish, eggs, margarine spreads.
