Osteoporosis exercises

Osteoporosis exercises are perhaps the most effective way of osteoporosis prevention and treatment.

When exercising not just your muscles and endurance are being challenged, but the thickness of the bones is targeted too. Physical activity helps to build and maintain the strength and thickness of your bones therefore help to deal with osteoporosis.

There are several kinds of exercises for osteoporosis that include:

-         Weight-bearing

-         Resistance

-         Flexibility

All three types of exercising should be combined and used together in order to achieve a greater bone density and health.

Weight bearing exercises for osteoporosis are the most available and easy. They consist of walking, hiking, dancing, stair climbing. Anything that puts pressure on your feet and legs when supporting body’s weight is considered weight bearing exercises for osteoporosis.

Take time to walk as little as three to five minutes in between your daily activities and this can help you to get your bones stronger. Most doctors recommend that anyone should get at least 30 minutes to one hour of substantial exercise for about five times a week. 

Osteoporosis and exercise do not go together. If you exercise regularly and maintain an active life style, the chances of getting osteoporosis later in life are much lower than of those who do not.

Another important type of exercise for osteoporosis is a resistance exercise.

The resistance in this case refers to working against the weight of some other object. Osteoporosis exercises that include resistance strengthen the muscles and build bones. Different studies have shown that when people who use resistance exercises have a significantly lower risk or getting a fracture and have a much higher bone density.

Osteoporosis exercises that fall into this category are:

-         Using weights, either free ones or weight machines at home or in the gym;

-         Tubing resistance

-         Exercising in the water, any movement that’s done in the water makes it harder for muscles to work, and therefore strengthens them

If you want to achieve the best results, it is recommended to do resistance exercises at least two or three times a week. The exercises need to be gradually intensified, either adding weight or increasing repetition is advised. Different muscles need to be involved in exercising: arm muscles, chest, shoulder, legs, belly, and back. However, make sure to not continue with the resistance exercising on the same group of muscles for two days in a row, each muscle group needs time for recovery.

The third kind of osteoporosis exercises are flexibility exercises. Preventing injury can be achieved by making joint more flexible. The most common flexibility exercises are:

-         Stretches on the regular basis;

-         Tai chi

-         Yoga for osteoporosis

It is common for people to worry about being involved in exercising; many doubt the safety of it. People who already suffer from osteoporosis or osteopenia (or pre osteoporosis) are typically the most concerned. Even if you have never been physically active before, there is nothing to worry about. There is a large variety of option to choose from.

Before establishing an exercising program you should consult your doctor to choose the right and safe one for you, especially if you already experience substantial bone loss or osteoporosis. The doctor will advise which kind of exercising is better in your case, as well as how intense and regular the physical training needs to be.