Exercise for Strong Bones (I)

In order to build and maintain bone density, there are 2 types of exercises:

• Weight-bearing.
• Muscle-strengthening.

Let's start with weight-bearing exercises:

They are exercises that make you move against gravity while staying upright. They can be high-impact or low-impact, as shown in the image above.

High-impact weight-bearing exercises help build bones and keep them strong. But, if you have broken a bone due to osteoporosis or are at risk of breaking it, it's better avoiding this type of exercises. In case of doubt, you should check with your healthcare provider.

Here below some examples of high-impact weight-bearing exercises:

• Dancing
• Doing high-impact aerobics
• Hiking
• Jogging/running
• Jumping Rope
• Stair climbing
• Tennis

If you can't do high-impact exercises, low-impact weight-bearing exercises are a safer alternative for you. Here below some low-impact weight-bearing exercises:

• Using elliptical training machines
• Doing low-impact aerobics
• Using stair-step machines
• Fast walking on a treadmill or outside

To increase your knowledge about this topic, consult the official web page of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Thanks for reading.

National Osteoporosis Foundation, 2015. Osteoporosis is preventable. Recovered on 5th of May 2015 from http://nof.org