A chat about bones might not sound that sexy but I’m going to challenge that misconception, and it will land when you find out that around one third of elderly people who go into hospital with a fractured femur don’t come out.

Bone health is not something you only worry about when you're old.

It's something you need to develop in your early years and maintain throughout life so you don't need to worry about it when you reach your latter years.

To bring some expert insight and opinion on this subject Tim is joined by Dr Ian Varley who is a leading researcher in injury and illness surveillance, the impact of exercise and physical activity on stress related bone injury, bone structure and bone metabolism.

Ian is an Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology at Nottingham Trent University. He is also the injury and illness consultant to the Football Association and Premier League and women’s super league.

He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications in prestigious journals such as Nature Communications and Sports Medicine.

Outside of his professional life, Ian is a husband, father and in his own words, a winter runner and a summer cyclist.

We close out the episode with a discussion about how to identify legitimate sources of research. With so much information circulating and so many claims being made, discerning what information carries weight and what you should be more skeptical about is a key skill in this day and age.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Dynamic Pursuit Podcast

01:31 Meet Dr. Ian Varley: Expert in Bone Health

04:10 The Importance of Bone Health

11:23 Childhood Activity and Bone Development

15:09 The David and Goliath Story: Gymnasts and Bone Density

17:45 Building and Maintaining Bone Density

22:20 The Role of Nutrition in Bone Health

32:47 Optimizing Bone Health and Nutrition

41:14 Understanding Stress Fractures

43:40 The Importance of Loading and Activity

46:51 Navigating Research and Information Quality

01:01:37 Practical Applications of Research Findings

Keywords

Dynamic Pursuit, athletic performance, personal growth, bone health, injury prevention, exercise physiology, Dr. Ian Varley, osteoporosis, childhood activity, nutrition, bone health, nutrition, stress fractures, exercise, research quality, athletic training, injury prevention, bone remodeling, physical activity, health education