Lower Your Risk Of Developing Osteoporosis With These Weight-Bearing Exercises
Osteoporosis, a weakening of the bones, is a health condition that affects many senior citizens. This condition affects more women than men, and can dramatically affect your quality of life. The brittleness of your bones makes them more susceptible to breaking, and a broken bone can quickly leave you needing to live in an assisted living home because of your mobility challenges. While you should always consult your physician to learn more about osteoporosis, you can take charge in lowering your risk of developing this issue by strengthening your bones. You might not realize it, but just as you can build stronger muscles, you can also build stronger bones. The key is weight-bearing exercises, and here are three that you should consider.
Strength Training
The good news about strength training is that in addition to building your muscles, it can also be effective for strengthening your bones, and this may help you to keep osteoporosis at bay. Strength training is effective for this goal because you're holding weights that temporarily increase the weight of your body. When this occurs, it exerts pressure on your bones and helps them to grow stronger. A long list of strength training exercises will help in this regard, including weighted squats and lunges, deadlifts, and more.
Skipping Rope
Skipping rope is a viable exercise for those looking to lose weight, given the speed at which this workout burns calories. Fortunately, it's also a useful activity for strengthening your bones. During a single skipping session, you may bounce up and down several hundred times, and each impact to your lower body can work to strengthen your bones. While you should be careful about overdoing it with this exercise, for example, too much jumping may lead to heel pain, skipping rope in a moderate amount can be valuable for your bone strength.
Hiking
If you want to remain active as you age, hiking is an activity to consider. Not only will this exercise burn calories and tone your muscles, but its weight-bearing nature will also be effective for promoting bone strength to keep the risk of osteoporosis at bay. If you're new to hiking, it's best to exercise moderation in the beginning so that you aren't overexerting yourself and potentially developing a repetitive strain injury. Remember, hiking doesn't need to take place in vigorous conditions; going to the nearest community park that has some changes in elevation can provide a useful challenge that helps your bone strength.
For more advice and options, talk with a provider like Sarasota Arthritis Center today.