Exercises to Prevent Bone Density Loss

Loss of bone density is assumed to be one of the hazards of getting older. But brittle bones that crack or become deformed with age needn't be a worry. While bone density loss is a very real threat, an exercise routine that includes exercises to prevent bone loss can help prevent and reverse the effects of waning bone density.

About Bone Density

• According to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, from the beginning of life and into your 30s, your bones go through cycles of being broken down and then rebuilt. They absorb calcium, which makes them strong and dense and replenishes their requirements for building materials.

  But as you move past your 30s, your body begins to take calcium from your bones at a rate that is faster than the bones can replace it. This process results in a loss of bone density, causing your bones to become fragile. The condition is called osteoporosis, and can lead to bone breakage and fracture.

How Exercise Can Help

• The University of Arizona notes that performing load-bearing or weight-bearing activities at least three times a week will help you build denser, stronger bones and prevent osteoporosis, or reverse its effects. It is the muscle pulling on bone action of load-bearing exercise that causes increases in bone mass.

Exercises for Bone Density

• Because exercise can help bolster bone density and keep osteoporosis and weak bones at bay, you need to choose some forms of exercises for bone density that will present the load or weight-bearing opportunities your body needs to rebuild bone mass. Exercise that helps to build bones can and should be done throughout life, not only after your 30s when bone loss begins to occur.

  Exercises for bone density needn't all be associated with lifting weights, although weight lifting is great for building bone mass. You can also do aerobics, especially step aerobics; biking--especially if you can increase resistance, as in biking on hills or on a recumbent bike; dancing--preferably the types that involve stomping or hopping; jogging; race walking; rebounding; and tennis. Any type of exercise that causes your body to support its weight or the weight of an object is good for preventing bone density loss.

  When exercising to prevent osteoporosis, a frequency of three days per week minimum is necessary to realize gains in bone density. It is best to get 30 minutes of exercise each day. You don't have to do the exercise all at one time either. You can do it in shorter segments, as long as your total comes to 30 minutes.

  Before you begin your exercise routine, speak with your doctor, especially if you already have bone density loss. A varied exercise routine will help keep you interested in staying fit, and is good for your overall health.