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.