Take Charge of Your Health - Exercising for Strong Bones
To succeed in life you need three things - a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.
-Reba McEntire
Physical exercise increases our muscle mass and bone strength, which not only enables better control, balance, and coordination, but also reduces our chance of falling and experiencing a serious injury such as a broken bone or a head injury. Regular physical activity can reduce falls by nearly a third in older adults who are at high risk of falling.
Each time we step, jump, run, or balance, the impact causes compressive force on our bones, which encourages bone building. Peak bone mass usually occurs by the age of 25 and then slowly declines over time. Research indicates that exercising for 45 to 60 minutes, three times a week helps maintain bone strength. Often gains in bone strength diminish when we stop exercising, so it helps to vary our exercise routines to help stay committed and enthusiastic.
So, what kind of exercise works best?
Developing a well-rounded plan combining weight-bearing, strength-training, and balance exercises can improve bone health. An increase in bone mass results from activities that apply stress to bone and increase muscle mass and strength. Extreme exercise is not necessary; even “mild” forms of exercise, such as walking, can improve our agility and balance. Interestingly, one of the best “exercises” for our bones is good posture. Do you tend to slouch when you are sitting? When you are walking? Throughout the day, think about sitting and standing as tall as possible, pulling your belly towards your spine, dropping your shoulders, and gently drawing your shoulder blades together.
There are a handful of important attributes to consider when developing your exercise routine. These include weight bearing, resistance, impact, balance, and cardio. Remember quality of movement and doing the exercise correctly is often more important than the quantity of repetitions.
Weight-bearing. Running, jogging, walking, climbing stairs, or sports such as tennis and basketball challenge us to work against gravity and in turn stimulate our bones. The force you exert to counteract gravity when you do weight-bearing activities is what stimulates your bones to get stronger. (This is in contrast to non-weight-bearing activities, swimming or bicycling for instance, where your body weight is supported by the water or the bike.)
Good news for golfers! Carrying that 25-30 pound golf bag around 18 holes and swinging those clubs adds up to healthy upper body work, while a brisk walk between the holes exercises your hips and spine.
Good news for hikers! Your bones benefit from low-impact activity from those hikes you love. The work of weight-bearing and the impact as your feet hit the ground can increase bone density, especially in your hips. You'll get even more impact if you're hiking uphill or downhill. More impact on your feet and legs translates into greater bone density.
Resistance. As part of your exercise program, challenge your muscles with the resistance of dumbbell weights, resistive elastic bands, or even your own body weight. You don’t need very heavy weights, especially if you are just starting an exercise program. Slow, intentional movements with two to six-pound weights can help you firm your muscles and gain strength. When you add resistance to your routine, your muscle contractions will also promote the release of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals that strengthen your bones.
Looking for a simple resistance exercise? Consider squats, planks, sit-ups, or add pushups to your routine as they can even be done standing. As your muscles get stronger, you can increase the intensity of the resistance by increasing the weight of your dumbbells or heavier resistance bands.
Impact. When you run or jump rope, you pound the ground with each step and in so doing, you multiply the weight-bearing effect of gravity. (Remember to be cautious of our knees and joints so using discretion about distances and the length of our training are important factors to keep in mind.) Impact can be increased even more as you increase your speed. For example, higher velocity exercises such as running, aerobics, and dancing work extra hard to strengthen your bones. Activities that include changes of direction, rapid turns and stop/start action, (such as tennis and soccer), are also very effective in strengthening our bones.
Exercises to consider:
Lower impact exercises - walking, stair climbing, and marching
Moderate impact exercises – jogging, skipping, water aerobics, and dancing
High impact exercises – running, basketball, singles tennis, jumping jacks, and jumping rope
Balance. Exercises that target balance and help keep you from falling serve to protect the bones. A strong core, which encompasses our stomach muscles, back muscles, and pelvic girdle, is critical to our balance.
Balance exercises can be quite simple. For example, balancing on one leg at a time while lifting the other foot off the floor and slowly counting to 10 is one such exercise. (Be sure to engage your stomach muscles.) Easier yet, whether standing or sitting, try contracting your abdomen and pulling your belly toward your spine. Want more of a balance challenge? Practice standing on one foot for at least 30 seconds. Repeat with the other leg. When you can do this easily, try it with your eyes closed and moving the leg that is in the air forward and back, or out and in. (Be sure to have a wall or other support handy in case you lose your balance!)
To improve your balance, you may wish to consider tai chi. Research studies indicate tai chi can help slow bone loss. Its slow, graceful movements build coordination, strength, flexibility, and balance. Similarly, yoga can help build bone health in your hips, spine, and wrists - bones which are most vulnerable to breaks. Yoga also sharpens your balance, concentration, and body awareness, which in turn can help prevent falls.
Cardio. Jogging, swimming, biking, exercising on the treadmill or an elliptical machine, or simply marching in place can help you get that heart rate up and contribute to bone health and overall wellness. Want to challenge yourself? Try jumping rope.
If you're not sure how to get started with an exercise plan, book a session with a trainer who can discuss the most effective program given your overall state of health as well as any specific conditions you may have. You may also wish to speak with your physician about your exercise plan as well as your diet and vitamins/supplements such as calcium and vitamin D, which are often vital components in a bone health plan.
Good luck and remember keeping up with an exercise plan is probably the best New Year's Resolution you can give yourself!
Sources include: Harvard Health Publishing