Bones do not become weak overnight; it is a gradual process and happens as age catches up with an individual. As one grows older, the bone density decreases and the bones become brittle which puts one at a higher risk of fractures and breakage. Therefore one must get one’s bone health tested on regular intervals to know the status quo and decide what exercises to begin with. Also, you need not worry as one can be saved from most bone related problems if you start taking care of your bones if the health concern is timely detected and/ or when you are young.
Healthy bones do not solely depend on your calcium build-up. It is also about getting exercise to keep your bones healthy and fit. Moving our bodies exerts forces on bones that make them grow strong. It also stimulates bone formation.
If you already have osteoporosis, your highest priority must be to protect your bones by improving stamina and balance, which will help you avoid falls. But then again, you must only do low impact exercises which are not too harsh. Therefore the gentler alternatives would be cardiovascular exercises such as walking, low-impact aerobics, some forms of Yoga and dancing. These also additionally help build muscle strength, which will help keep you upright and free from fracture-inducing falls. In case of osteoporosis, diet too plays a key role
If you don’t have any bone related concern, you can build strong bones by lifting weights as well as do exercises that use your body weight as resistance. Push-ups and sit-ups, for example are great exercises to build your bone density. However, the single best way to increase bone density is jumping – jumping rope, jump squats and other forms of jumping exercises.
Whatever you do, it will need to get more and more challenging and harder with time if you want better bone health. So gradually, you must shift to heavier weights or if you are walking or jogging, you must choose a path that has a steeper incline.
