Exercise tips for strong bones
Bones respond to the work you give them, at every age. Here is how to give them good work. Regular exercise is one of the most important things you can do to build strong bones today and keep your skeleton healthy long into the future. Here's what you need to know about the best forms of exercise for bone health.
Any form of physical activity that increases your heart rate is good for overall health. Exercise can help you maintain a healthy weight, regulate blood pressure, and build strong muscles and bones to keep you feeling healthy and able for years.
When it comes to bone health in particular, some forms of exercise do more than others. Use these tips to build a routine that supports strong bones and helps lower the risk of osteoporosis and fractures later in life.
Best Exercise Tips for Bone Health
1. Resistance Training
Studies show that resistance training is one of, if not the most effective exercise interventions for maintaining or building bone mass and density. To be specific, exposing your bones and muscles to a load that is heavier than that of normal daily activities stimulates bone-building processes in the body.
High-intensity resistance training, using resistance bands or weights under proper guidance, has been shown to improve bone density in older adults. In the LIFTMOR trial, supervised high-intensity resistance and impact training improved bone mineral density and physical function in postmenopausal women with low bone mass (Watson 2018).
Resistance training also builds strength and can help with weight management.
Stronger muscles and better balance help protect against falls, which is one of the best ways to protect bones as we age.
2. High-Impact Exercise
The second form of exercise that’s beneficial for building strong bones is high-impact physical activity. This includes things like running, dancing, and walking. Low-impact activities, on the other hand, include swimming and cycling.
Low-impact activities are great for cardiovascular and muscular health, and activities that involve regular weight bearing are especially good for building bone.
This is especially true for school-aged children. Studies show that regular load-bearing physical activity from early childhood throughout adolescence plays an important role in maintaining bone health throughout life.
3. Yoga
Despite being neither high-impact nor high-intensity, yoga is actually a form of physical activity that can contribute to bone health. First of all, following a regular yoga practice improves flexibility and muscular strength. Strong, pliable muscles are better able to protect and move your bones to prevent injury.
Yoga may help balance and strength; evidence on bone density is limited. Some small studies have reported encouraging results, and larger, well-controlled trials are still needed.
Maintaining Bone Health Beyond Exercise
While exercise is one of the best things you can do throughout life to build and maintain a strong skeletal system, it’s not the only factor impacting bone health.
Other lifestyle choices that can help your bones stay strong and healthy include:
- Maintaining a healthy body weight
- Not smoking
- Avoiding excessive use of alcohol
- Eating a well-rounded diet rich in calcium, magnesium, potassium, and other essential nutrients
Food comes first for the nutrients that support healthy bones. If you're concerned about gaps in your diet, ask your doctor whether a supplement makes sense for you, and keep enjoying the activities you love.
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1 Hong AR, Kim SW. Effects of Resistance Exercise on Bone Health. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018;33(4):435-444. doi:10.3803/EnM.2018.33.4.435
2 Hervás G, Ruiz-Litago F, Irazusta J, et al. Bone Health and Its Relationship with Impact Loading and the Continuity of Physical Activity throughout School Periods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(16):2834. Published 2019 Aug 8. doi:10.3390/ijerph16162834
3 Lu YH, Rosner B, Chang G, Fishman LM. Twelve-Minute Daily Yoga Regimen Reverses Osteoporotic Bone Loss. Top Geriatr Rehabil. 2016;32(2):81-87. doi:10.1097/TGR.0000000000000085
Sources
- Watson SL, et al. High-intensity resistance and impact training improves bone mineral density and physical function in postmenopausal women with osteopenia and osteoporosis: the LIFTMOR randomized controlled trial. J Bone Miner Res. 2018;33(2):211-220. doi:10.1002/jbmr.3284. doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3284
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. 2018. odphp.health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines
