Exercises to Strengthen Your Bones

Exercise is the first thing that is recommended by the doctors when you are diagnosed with osteoporosis, arthritis or any other bone disease. Exercise is known to improve bone density. As you grow older, your bone density and strength naturally decreases especially with an unhealthy lifestyle. However, not every exercise is good for your bones, so be careful what you choose. Here are some of the exercises that can help you strengthen your bones before you realize you have bird bones!

Foot stomp:

The major benefit of this exercise is strengthening the hip-bone. It is very easy to do and very effective.

• While standing, stomp your foot, imagining you are crushing an imaginary can underneath it.
• Repeat four times on one foot then repeat the exercise on the other foot.
• Hold on to a railing or sturdy piece of furniture if you have difficulty maintaining your balance.

Shoulder lifts:

Use weights or a resistance band to perform this exercise. You can do this exercise from either a standing or seated position.

• Take a dumbbell in each hand or step on a resistance band while holding an end in each hand.
• Start with your arms down and hands at your sides.
• Slowly raise your arms out straight in front of you, but don’t lock your elbow.
• Lift to a comfortable height, but no higher than shoulder level.
• Repeat 8 to 12 times. Rest and repeat for a second set, if possible.

Hamstring curls:

This exercise strengthens the muscles in the backs of your upper legs. You perform this exercise from a standing position. If necessary, place your hands on a piece of heavy furniture or other sturdy item to improve your balance.

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Slightly move back your left foot until only your toes are touching the floor.
• Contract the muscles in the back of your left leg to lift your left heel toward your buttocks.
• Slowly control your left foot as you lower it back to its starting position.
• Repeat 8 to 12 times. Rest, and repeat the exercise on your right leg.

Squats:

Squats can strengthen the front of your legs as well as your buttocks. You don’t have to squat deeply for this exercise to be effective.

• Start with your feet hip-width apart. Rest your hands lightly on a sturdy piece of furniture or counter for balance.
• Bend your knees to slowly squat down. Keep your back straight and lean slightly forward, feeling your legs working.
• Squat only until your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Tighten your buttocks to return to a standing position.
• Repeat 8 to 12 times.

Bicep Curl:

You can perform this exercise with either dumbbells or a resistance band. They can be performed seated or standing, depending on what you’re most comfortable with.

• Take a dumbbell in each hand. Or step on a resistance band while holding an end in each hand.
• Pull the bands or weights in toward your chest, watching the bicep muscles on the fronts of your upper arms contract.
• Lower your arms to return to your starting position.
• Repeat 8 to 12 times. Rest and repeat for a second set, if possible.

Yoga

In yoga the individual supports themselves with their arms or legs. Two incredible benefits of yoga are increased flexibility and improved balance. They both help to avoid falling and breaking bones, exclusively for older people.

Doctors say that in older individuals, hip fractures are frequent. When they lose their balance, they trip and fall on their hip, which consequently breaks. When people try to catch themselves on their wrists while falling, they break them too which shows that wrist fractures are quite common as well. As a person gets older, fractures can be deadly along with being a whole lot of pain. A study conducted on people aged 45+ in a pool of more than 238,000 people found that the risk of premature death is almost doubled by fractures.

Dancing

A great high-impact exercise is dancing. It is good for your bones, and even more than that. According to doctors dancing is an excellent exercise for bone health because it is just a little more vigorous than walking and a little less than jogging. The violent banging on the floor with the feet when dancing produces a force that strengthens the leg bones.

Tennis

One high-impact way of adding strength to the bones is to play tennis. Running to return a slick serve is one of the great exercises that are beneficial for the bones. But some people fail to realize that swinging the racket is a workout as well. The collision of the tennis ball with the racket creates additional stress to the already present resistance from the weight of the racket, which in turn strengthens the arm bones.

Exercising will most definitely help you strengthen your bones, however high-impact exercises put more strain on your spine and hips than is beneficial so avoid running, climbing, skipping etc. You can also get a consultation with a trainer for further improvement. You can book an appointment with a top Trainer in Karachi, Multan and Islamabad through oladoc.com, or call our helpline at 042-3890-0939 for assistance to find the RIGHT person for all your health problems.