Exercise for Bone Health- How to improve your bone density

Bone health is something we take for granted. We know from a young age that we need to consume calcium, get enough Vitamin D and participate in regular exercise to maintain strong healthy bones. But did you know that as we age, it gets more difficult for our body to maintain optimal bone density.

As we creep into the 40’s our body produces fewer bone cells and bone strength can begin to deteriorate. For women, once we go through menopause a more significant reduction in bone health can occur due to the change in hormones. We need to stimulate our body in order to counteract these changes in the body.

This is where exercise becomes so important.

Exercise stimulates the bone to increase production of bone cells to strengthen the bone. It does this through impact and resistance where the bone has to work against resistance. The type of exercise you do will greatly affect how well the bone is stimulated. For example, swimming, where your body is supported in water and not working strong resistance is less likely to have any impact on bone health. On the other hand, jumping is the gold standard for improving bone health due to the forces going into the bone when you land on the ground.

Jumping is not for everyone, and it is best to check with your Exercise Physiologist or Physiotherapist to discuss the best type of exercise for you. Below are some exercises which can be beneficial to bone health as we age:

·       Jumping

·       Running

·       Boxing

·       Stomping

·       Resistance exercises (i.e. weights)

·       Stepping

·       Walking

·       Pilates

·       Skipping

Of course, if you have already been diagnosed with osteoporosis or osteopaenia, you need to take proper caution when starting out new exercises as you are now at an increased risk of fractures. The location of your osteoporosis diagnosis, often the spine, will determine the best exercises for you and should start with lower loads.

Contact us on 07 5337 9853 to find out more information and book for an appointment to discuss how we can program specifically for Osteoporosis prevention. It is never too late to start exercise.