What are the best ways to exercise and improve your bone health -- even when you have osteoporosis? Try weight-bearing workouts that stress bones and muscles more than your everyday life. Talk to your doctor and make sure the workout you choose is safe for you. Then give these latest trends a try!
1. Tai Chi
Tai chi -- a form of slow, graceful moves -- builds both coordination and strong bones. A study reported in Physician and Sportsmedicine found that tai chi could slow bone loss in postmenopausal women. The women, who did 45 minutes of tai chi a day, five days a week for a year, enjoyed a rate of bone loss up to three-and-a-half times slower than the non-tai-chi group. Their bone health gains showed up on bone mineral density tests.
2. Yoga
A study reported in Yoga Journal found an increase in bone mineral density in the spine for women who did yoga regularly. From the slow, precise Iyengar style to the athletic, vigorous ashtanga, yoga can build bone health in your hips, spine, and wrists -- the bones most vulnerable to fracture.
Standing poses like Warrior I and II work the large bones of the hips and legs, while poses like Downward Dog work the wrists, arms, and shoulders. Both the Cobra and Locust poses, which work the back muscles, may preserve the health of the spine. Yoga also sharpens your balance, coordination, concentration, and body awareness -- and thus helps prevent falls.
3. Brisk Walking
Walking is a great way to revamp your bone health. A study of nurses found that walking four hours a week gave them a 41% lower risk of hip fractures, compared to walking less than an hour a week. Brisk walking is best, but you can adapt your speed to your current fitness level.
4. Golf
Maybe you've always thought golf was for old folks -- people who could no longer do "real" sports. Think again. Shouldering that golf bag around 18 holes, and swinging the big clubs to drive the ball long, adds up to a lot of upper-body work. And all that walking, and chasing balls lost in the rough, means plenty of work for your hips and spine. Golf gives "weight-bearing exercise" a whole new name.
5. Dancing
We're talking the hottest trends in salsa, samba, Lindy hop, rhumba, East coast swing, foxtrot, and tango. Use those hips to get your heart pumping in more ways than one, and build strong bones while you're at it. Or try the newest aerobics, kickboxing, or step class at your health club or local Y. New classes emerge every few months to keep members motivated. A lot of them now combine strength training with dance or step moves -- and will perk up your balance as well.
6. Hiking
The work of weight-bearing -- and the impact as your feet hit the ground -- can increase bone density, especially in your hips. It's just like walking, and then some. You'll get even more impact on those bones if you're going uphill or downhill, and that can improve bone health even more. More impact on your feet and legs translates into more bone density, says the surgeon general.
And with hiking, boredom is rarely an issue. You're often socializing and meeting new people, as well as expanding your horizons as you see new landscapes.
7. Racquet Sports
Tennis, squash, and paddle tennis can rally your bone density. You're stressing your racquet arm, wrist, and shoulder every time you hit the ball, and working your hips and spine with all that running around -- and chasing down wild balls. If you're going for racquet sports, go for singles. You'll get a lot more from your workout in terms of bone health, since you'll be running around more.
8. Strength Training
Lifting weights, using the weight machines at your health club, or doing calisthenics, are forms of strength or resistance training. You're working against some form of resistance -- whether it's a set of "free" weights, your own body weight, or weight machines -- to stress a sequence of muscles and bones. Strength training at least twice a week, says the surgeon general, is needed to stimulate bone growth.
Every gym has a trainer who can design a workout for your legs, back, shoulders, and arms. One that's right for your fitness level and can rally your bone health.
1. Tai Chi
Tai chi -- a form of slow, graceful moves -- builds both coordination and strong bones. A study reported in Physician and Sportsmedicine found that tai chi could slow bone loss in postmenopausal women. The women, who did 45 minutes of tai chi a day, five days a week for a year, enjoyed a rate of bone loss up to three-and-a-half times slower than the non-tai-chi group. Their bone health gains showed up on bone mineral density tests.
2. Yoga
A study reported in Yoga Journal found an increase in bone mineral density in the spine for women who did yoga regularly. From the slow, precise Iyengar style to the athletic, vigorous ashtanga, yoga can build bone health in your hips, spine, and wrists -- the bones most vulnerable to fracture.
Standing poses like Warrior I and II work the large bones of the hips and legs, while poses like Downward Dog work the wrists, arms, and shoulders. Both the Cobra and Locust poses, which work the back muscles, may preserve the health of the spine. Yoga also sharpens your balance, coordination, concentration, and body awareness -- and thus helps prevent falls.
3. Brisk Walking
Walking is a great way to revamp your bone health. A study of nurses found that walking four hours a week gave them a 41% lower risk of hip fractures, compared to walking less than an hour a week. Brisk walking is best, but you can adapt your speed to your current fitness level.
4. Golf
Maybe you've always thought golf was for old folks -- people who could no longer do "real" sports. Think again. Shouldering that golf bag around 18 holes, and swinging the big clubs to drive the ball long, adds up to a lot of upper-body work. And all that walking, and chasing balls lost in the rough, means plenty of work for your hips and spine. Golf gives "weight-bearing exercise" a whole new name.
5. Dancing
We're talking the hottest trends in salsa, samba, Lindy hop, rhumba, East coast swing, foxtrot, and tango. Use those hips to get your heart pumping in more ways than one, and build strong bones while you're at it. Or try the newest aerobics, kickboxing, or step class at your health club or local Y. New classes emerge every few months to keep members motivated. A lot of them now combine strength training with dance or step moves -- and will perk up your balance as well.
6. Hiking
The work of weight-bearing -- and the impact as your feet hit the ground -- can increase bone density, especially in your hips. It's just like walking, and then some. You'll get even more impact on those bones if you're going uphill or downhill, and that can improve bone health even more. More impact on your feet and legs translates into more bone density, says the surgeon general.
And with hiking, boredom is rarely an issue. You're often socializing and meeting new people, as well as expanding your horizons as you see new landscapes.
7. Racquet Sports
Tennis, squash, and paddle tennis can rally your bone density. You're stressing your racquet arm, wrist, and shoulder every time you hit the ball, and working your hips and spine with all that running around -- and chasing down wild balls. If you're going for racquet sports, go for singles. You'll get a lot more from your workout in terms of bone health, since you'll be running around more.
8. Strength Training
Lifting weights, using the weight machines at your health club, or doing calisthenics, are forms of strength or resistance training. You're working against some form of resistance -- whether it's a set of "free" weights, your own body weight, or weight machines -- to stress a sequence of muscles and bones. Strength training at least twice a week, says the surgeon general, is needed to stimulate bone growth.
Every gym has a trainer who can design a workout for your legs, back, shoulders, and arms. One that's right for your fitness level and can rally your bone health.
