Osteoporosis
Exercise:
It’s Never too Late to Strengthen Your Bones
Osteoporosis—a
disease causing weak, porous bones—is a major threat to everyone’s
health, especially women’s health after the age of 50. It
is estimated that 44 million Americans either have osteoporosis
or are at risk for osteoporosis because of weakened bone tissue.
This means osteoporosis could cause 55 percent of our population
over the age of 50 to be disabled because of a major bone break
in the spine or hip. Thankfully, it’s never too late to do
something about making bones stronger, and one of the main ways
to do so is through osteoporosis exercise.
Osteoporosis exercise
can help you build stronger bones as well as help you avoid falls
by making you more flexible and stable. Even though osteoporosis
exercise increases your strength and flexibility, you still should
use care when you exercise, especially if your bones are in a weakened
state. Osteoporosis exercise is effective whether or not you have
osteoporosis, but you don’t want your bone-building exercise
to put your bones at risk. Some examples of safer osteoporosis exercise
options include the following:
Strength
training exercise—free weights, weight machines,
and resistance bands to strengthen muscles and slow mineral loss
in your bones
Weight
bearing aerobic activities—these involve “on
your feet” exercises like walking, gardening, low-impact aerobics,
playing tennis, and dancing
Flexibility
exercises—these osteoporosis exercises should increase
your ability to bend, stretch, and rotate your body which will improve
your posture and prevent falls
By incorporating
osteoporosis exercise into your daily life, you can relieve pain,
feel better, maintain good posture, and increase your ability to
be independent as you age. Whether you are 20 or 80, osteoporosis
exercise is effective measure against weakening bones. The earlier
you start, the better.
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