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Exercise and Osteoporosis Prevention

Osteoporosis is a debilitating condition that affects your bones, causing them to become brittle and fragile. Prevention is possible with getting adequate amounts of calcium and vitamin D, avoiding excessive consumption of alcohol, avoiding smoking and creating a regular regime of exercise.

  1. How Exercise Helps

    • Your bones are composed of living tissue, and much like your muscles, they will become stronger with exercise. Your bones will also become increasingly dense, decreasing the likelihood of fractures.

    High-Impact Exercise

    • If you do not already have low bone mass, activities like dancing, hiking, running/jogging, high-impact aerobics and tennis are beneficial, since they all force your body to remain upright while moving against gravity.

    Low-Impact Exercises

    • If you cannot do high-impact exercises, low-impact exercises such as walking, step and stair machines, elliptical trainers and low-impact aerobics will help strengthen your bones and increase bone mass.

    Resistance and Strength Training

    • Resistance and strength-training exercises like weight lifting, using elastic bands and lifting or moving against your own body weight all increase bone strength.

    Exercises to Improve Balance and Posture

    • Exercises like tai chi, yoga and Pilates improve your balance, movement and posture and can improve muscle strength, while decreasing your risk of falling.

    Frequency

    • Aim for 30 minutes of exercise daily for most days. This could be broken into three 10 minute sessions. Add two to three sessions of resistance/strength training each week.

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