What weight bearing exercises are good for osteoporosis?
Any exercise that uses extra weight, or where your feet are in contact with the ground helps build bones. Walking, marching, and other such exercises are good weight bearing exercises. Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.
In our program, while the focus is fall prevention, we incorporate several good bone-building exercises. Here are two examples:
High Marches:
a. Place one hand on kitchen counter or other stable surface for support. Stand with the counter at your side.
b. Back straight, abdominals lifted.
c. Raise your knees to march, keeping your knees pointing forward (do not twist).
d. 20 times, rest, repeat.
Upward Row, using weights (choose a weight you can work with while maintaining a good posture. Increase the weight as you gain strength. If you are swinging your arms, or bending backwards, your weights may be too heavy.):
a. Stand with feet shoulder width apart, with arms at sides, palms facing thighs, holding weights.
b. Lift the weights to shoulder height, elbows out to the side.
c. Gently lower to starting position.
d. Exhale as you lift.
e. Inhale as you lower.
f. 15 times, rest, repeat.
A few examples of weight-bearing exercise for osteoporosis are walking, hiking, dancing, and the Stairmaster, even racquet sports. Biking and swimming are not considered weight-bearing exercises because you are supporting yourself with something other than your own body/weight. Jogging is a great exercise for osteoporosis even as little as five miles a week. This gives you a healthy mind and body. Keeping active is extremely important in dealing with this issue. Muscles pulling on your bones actually create new bone structure. Therefore doing exercise is actually going to help you build thicker and denser bones.
