Protect Your Bone Before It's Too Late: Weight Training Is the Most Effective Method For Bone health
Osteoporosis/osteopenia are conditions that silently reduce your quality of life. Your poor bone will sneak up on you before you even notice!
As you age your bones will naturally get weaker it’s an unavoidable process. At an elderly age a fall can turn into a fracture that facture turn into a long hospital stay. The older you are, the more you have to worry about these conditions affecting you.
Adults over 60 suffer from the greatest number of fatal falls. Women are greatly vulnerable to having low bone density from the loss of hormones related to bone growth, structure, and repair. Getting a hip fracture can be a major life-altering event it’ll make you lose the ability to provide for yourself if you have one of these bone-related conditions. Without movement, our bodies will deteriorate.
Doctors commonly recommend 3 things to help manage or prevent low bone density.
- Improved nutrition
- Change in Medication
- Increased physical activity
Changing your diet can get complex, you have to learn a little about nutrition, may have to change your eating habits which is hard, and it can be costly especially in the current global economy. A change in medication requires a doctor and also comes with side effects.
So what can you start doing now that will majorly improve your bone health???
Resistance training or weight lifting!
Stress Makes Bone Stronger
Resistance training is the best form of exercise to help with bone density. Lifting weights, it will not only protect you but also make your bones stronger, so you’ll be able to perform any daily physical task without the need for anyone to help. Weighted exercises place pressure and stress on the bone, which forces your body to adapt. Your bones will be harder, stronger, and able to take on any stress that life throws at you.
Tracking your strength becomes easier as you can increase the weight or do more repetitions. You’ll see that you’re getting stronger almost every week. If you are physically getting stronger without any injury, then you can bet that your bones are definitely getting stronger. This newfound strength will save you a hospital visit and save your life.
Best Exercises To Do
Heavy compound movements are key for building strong bones. Squat, bench, overhead press, deadlifts, and rows. These exercises require a huge amount of force to perform, which is great for making bones stronger. These exercises require a little bit of skill and practice; you can always progress slowly into these exercises.
Many people suggest that just walking is enough to get stronger bones. If that were the case, then low bone density wouldn’t be an issue and areas where they walk a lot would never have cases of this condition. There is a time and place for walking but if you want the most bang for your buck, weight training is the answer.
How To Start Exercising For Bone Health
I would get a gym membership if able to because buying gym equipment is expensive and takes up a lot of space. But if you don’t have access or are ready to go to a gym, you could purchase a set of dumbbells. Do not purchase the dumbbells that only go up to 5lbs because strength develop quick and you’ll outgrow them. And you’ll have to spend even more money on buying more. I recommend at least getting some from 5lbs to 20lbs and up. A moderate amount of weight is enough for you to build up your bones.
Resistance training is only one tool in the toolbox, but it is one of the most powerful. After building up tolerance and durability for training, you can move on to something with higher impact, such as jumping. You can add these in if you feel ready whenever. Always seek medical professional advice before engaging in exercise if you are worried about your condition. If you want help with exercises, please contact us for training advice.