If you have surgery or at any age bone health should be a integral part of your fitness needs. Your bones require upkeep to be strong and healthy, just like every other body component. One of the mainstays of bone health and fall prevention is exercise. By acting now, you can lower your chance of crippling fractures later in life by maintaining your bone mass and possibly growing it a little bit more.
Specific workout regimens can increase muscle mass, improving strength, muscle control, balance, and coordination. Maintaining balance and coordination can be the difference between falling, breaking a bone in your body, and standing upright. There is compelling evidence that regular physical activity can prevent falls by over a third among older persons at high risk of falling.
All exercises for bone strength have one or more of the following attributes:
Offer opposition. Exercising your muscles against resistance—such as dumbbells, elastic bands, or even your body weight—these types of exercise puts your muscles to the test. Resistance exercises, such as traditional strength training, use muscular contractions that pull on the bones to encourage bone growth.
Bearing weight. Any exercise that involves carrying your body weight and defying gravity, such as walking, running, dancing, hiking, climbing stairs, or playing tennis, golf, or basketball, is considered a weight-bearing exercise. This contrasts with non-weight-bearing exercises like cycling or swimming, where your body weight is supported by the bike or the water. The power you apply to defy gravity during weight-bearing exercises builds stronger bones.
Make an impact. The force of gravity that supports your weight is multiplied when you jump, land, run, and pound the earth with each step. For this reason, compared to lower-impact exercises, higher-impact activities typically have a more noticeable effect on bone.
Increased speed. As you accelerate, the impact can become even greater. For instance, jogging or vigorous aerobics can strengthen your bones more than a leisurely walk or slow-motion calisthenics routine.
Involve abrupt direction shifts. It seems that shifting directions while moving is beneficial for bones as well. Researchers examined the bone strength in the hips of a range of athletes. They discovered that players of fast-paced, high-impact sports like high jumpers and soccer had bone strengths comparable to those of high jumpers and triple jumpers and more bone density than long-distance runners.
Boost your equilibrium. While balance exercises may not be ideal for increasing bone density, they protect your bones by preventing falls.
Maintaining bone health throughout life is crucial, as it can help prevent osteoporosis and related complications in later years. This involves proper nutrition (especially calcium and vitamin D), regular exercise, and avoiding harmful habits like smoking or excessive alcohol consumption.
References:
National Osteoporosis Foundation website. Healthy Bones For Life: Patient's Guide. www.bonehealthandosteoporosis.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Healthy-Bones-for-life-patient-guide.pdf
Author Michael R. Grigsby, one of the news editors for LCTI, LLC. Michael is passionate about the outdoors, photography, strength sports, and powerlifting and is dedicated to bringing you accurate and insightful news reports on a wide range of topics. He loves connecting with readers and is always happy to answer any questions you may have. If you have any questions about this news article, don't hesitate to get in touch with Michael at lctillc@outlook.com or by leaving a comment below.
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