10 exercises to prevent osteoporosis

Osteoporosis occurs when bones lose minerals, such as calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them and this results in a loss of bone density.

This disease affects both women and men, and is most common in adults over the age of 50. Women are at a greater risk of developing the disease because of the rapid decline in oestrogen levels during menopause. When oestrogen levels decrease, bones lose calcium and other minerals at a much faster rate. While men also lose bone as they age, testosterone levels decline at a more gradual rate, so their bone mass remains adequate until later in life.

The good news is that osteoporosis can be prevented by looking after your bones as part of your general health, maintaining healthy muscles, and engaging in regular physical activity.

Regular physical activity helps maintain bone mass, increase muscle strength and improve your balance. The best types of exercise for minimising the risk of developing osteoporosis are weight-bearing exercises and strength training.

Exercises such as swimming and cycling help improve cardiovascular fitness and build muscle strength, but are not as effective at preventing osteoporosis as weight-bearing and strength exercises.

It’s always best to check with your doctor before starting any new exercise regimen to make sure it’s safe for you to do so.

Here are 10 exercises to help build stronger bones and prevent osteoporosis:

1. Aerobics

Aerobics exercise classes can do wonders for improving your bone strength and strengthening ligaments, tendons and muscles. By stimulating the growth of tiny blood vessels in your muscle tissues, aerobic exercises can also help improve the oxygen supply to your muscles, which in turn helps reduce pain experienced by people with muscle stiffness or chronic lower back pain.

2. Balancing

Balance exercises play an important role in looking after your bones. Working on your balance can improve your stability and prevent falls, and this is important because falls can lead to fractured or broken bones. Types of balance training can include standing on one leg, tai chi, yoga, or balancing on a Bosu (a two sided fitness tool: one side is a solid flat platform, and the other is a soft dome resembling an exercise ball).

3. Dancing

Dancing is not only a good way to maintain bone health, it’s also fun and engaging too. Dancing often involves steps of elevation and transferring weight from foot to foot. When you land from these kinds of movements, you put additional tension on your muscles and pressure on your bones. In turn, your bones react to this pressure and strain by becoming stronger.

4. Walking

A brisk, daily walk is a great exercise to help build your bone health – and it’s good for your heart, too. Aim for 30 minutes a day at least four times per week. If you’re worried about uneven or cracked walking pathways, a treadmill is a great alternative.

5. Climbing stairs

While walking is a great bone-building exercise, climbing stairs can be considered as taking it up a notch in terms of putting increased stress on your muscles and joints to build strength. This is because when you’re climbing stairs, it requires more balance and muscle work than walking does.  So, every now and then, if possible, consider taking the stairs instead of the lift.