Soda drinking and your bones

As some of you know my wife calls me an analytical analytical when in comes to my thinking style. I guess that is what I get for being from a family of engineers. (Both Brothers, and my Dad was a Systems Analyst.) Everywhere I go I am constantly analyzing what people are saying and doing.

I happen to ride with a group on Wednesday evenings out of Edwardsville IL It is amazing what you hear people talk about during these rides. Yesterday the subject of weight loss was being discussed. The two women on the ride started talking about diet sodas. What they are failing to realize is combining such an acidic drink with all the endurance activities they do is sucking minerals out of their bones at an alarming rate. (Most people have no idea that one of the primary functions of our skeletal systems is to store minerals for use when our diet isn't providing enough at the time.) Long term this will lead to Osteoporosis.

Since Bicyclist have a greater chance of developing Osteoporosis than non-bicyclist I have studied quite a lot about this topic. There is nothing wrong with drinking an occasional soda. They both mentioned the need for caffeine. If you need that much caffeine everyday, you are probably over-training, not getting adequate nutrition in your diet and/or not getting enough sleep.


Unfortunately both of these women will probably pay the price later in life for these choices that they are making. I can tell by the posture of one of them that her middle and upper back aren't strong enough for her to perform squats or overhead presses correctly without hurting her lower back. She looks like she already has Osteoporosis in her spine.

Most Endurance Cyclist I have talked to just want to ride their bikes. They have no interest in lifting heaving enough weights and adding plyometrics to their exercies routines to build stronger bones.


I have tried sharing some of this information with them, but like a wise man once said; (The people least likely to listen to you are the ones that need your help the most.) I will learn that sometimes it is better not to share what you know with people that aren't interested.