Exercises for Women With Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis makes bones fragile and susceptible to fracture. If you have osteoporosis, loss of bone density has made your bones porous and brittle. Osteopenia, considered a precursor for osteoporosis, is loss of bone mass, but not enough of a loss to call it osteoporosis---yet. Exercise is a key factor in both conditions for increasing your bone density and strength. Exercises for women with osteoporosis---exercises that build bones---can be weight-bearing impact exercises or strengthening and resistance exercises.

Weight-Bearing and Impact Exercises

• Weight-bearing exercises are those where your muscles are working against gravity. These can be divided into low-impact and high-impact exercises. Do low-impact weight-bearing exercises if you are already diagnosed with osteoporosis and are at risk for fall or fracture. In low-impact, weight-bearing exercise, you do not jump or twist. Usually, one foot is always on the ground. Elliptical trainers provide low-impact weight-bearing benefit, as do treadmills and stair-climbing machines. Other options are to join a low-impact aerobics class or go for a brisk walk. Even gardening, housecleaning, or carrying groceries can provide a safe low-impact workout to build bone strength.

  If you do not already have osteoporosis and are not at risk for fall or fracture, high-impact exercises are an option. Run, jog or go hiking. Jump rope, take a high-impact aerobics class, or go dancing. You can also play racquetball or tennis, climb some stairs, or do some uphill walking. Take advantage of your current healthy condition to increase your bone density and guard against future loss through high-impact exercise.

Strengthening and Resistance Exercises

• In the fight against osteoporosis, both weight-bearing and working against gravity are essential to strengthening bones and preventing fractures. Using weights to exercise is both strengthening and weight-bearing. Exercise at the gym with weight machines or free weights. You can also exercise at home with free weights. If you don't have weights, hold a can of beans in each hand while you raise yourself up and down on your toes.

  Another option (for either home or gym) is exercising with resistance bands, which are more portable than weights and less expensive than a gym membership. These elastic bands come in different degrees of resistance, usually denoted by color, and also work against gravity to strengthen your bones. They are also, according to Johns Hopkins' Back Pain and Osteoporosis Special Report, "one of the safest ways to strength train."

Routine and Cautions

• Make your osteoporosis exercises part of your daily routine. Doing weight-bearing and strengthening exercises for osteoporosis for approximately 30 minutes a day most days of the week will prevent further bone loss and make you stronger and more agile. Don't worry about finding a 30-minute chunk of time; 10 minutes three times a day is also sufficient to strengthen your bones. In addition, make sure you get the recommended amount of calcium and vitamin D, and consult your doctor before beginning any vigorous exercise program.