An often overlooked part of our bodies when it comes to health and fitness is
our bones.
Many people think of bones as solid or unchanging, but in reality, they are living tissues that undergo continuous renewal through a process called
bone remodelling.
Bone mass typically peaks in early adulthood, around the age of 30 to 35. After this, bone density gradually begins to decline as the body breaks down bone faster than it can rebuild it.
When this process happens in an accelerated manor it is called osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is not painful but it makes the bones brittle and liable to fractures, which certainly can be painful and have devastating effects on quality of life. Osteoporotic fractures most commonly happen in the spine, hips and wrists.
The good news is, we can help our bones get stronger.
One of the best ways to keep your bones strong is by regularly applying force to them. Like muscles, your bones will react according to the stresses that you put
them under.
Impact Exercises
The best kind of exercises for bone health are impact exercises.
- If you stand up, do a small jump, and land again, you will feel the force of the ground travel up through your body as you land. That’s exactly what we want, you have just applied a considerable force to your bones.
- Skipping is one of the best bone health exercises for the same reason, whether done with a skipping rope or just leaping in the air on one foot then the other like you did when you were a child.
- For a milder impact exercise, stand on your tip toes, then quickly drop back down onto your heels.
Weightlifting
Weightlifting is a great option for improving bone health, the weight helps stress the bone which stimulates the remodelling process to lay down more bone. Another benefit of weightlifting for bones, is that in exercises like a barbell squat, much of the force is concentrated on your spine and your hips, areas more vulnerable to osteoporotic fracture.
Weight Bearing Exercises
Any exercise that involves weight bearing will have bone benefits, these include running, dancing, tennis and even just climbing the stairs.
Even if you currently have osteoporosis, you could and should do at least some of these exercises.
If you are young, fit and active this information could still be relevant to you. For example, if you work at desk all day and get your exercise through swimming and cycling, there’s a lack of the impact and weight bearing that we know is so important for keeping bones healthy.
Remember, we begin to lose bone mass from our early thirties, the sooner you start applying strategies to maintain it, the better.
In addition to impact exercise other key considerations for healthy bones are:
- Adequate Calcium Intake: Calcium is essential for bone strength. Calcium is readily found in dairy products, leafy green vegetables and fortified plant based milks.
- Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps your body absorb and use calcium, which gives your bones their strength and hardness. The best source of vitamin D is from direct sunlight. The more of your skin that is exposed to sunlight, the quicker you will make the required amount of vitamin D. Midday, especially during summer is the best time to get sunlight. 5 - 15 minutes of midday sun exposure, between March and October, three times per week is enough to maintain healthy levels for most people. In the autumn and winter months in the UK it is recommended to take a Vitamin D supplement as it can be difficult to achieve the required levels from sunlight. You will NOT get vitamin D from sunlight through a window.
- Balanced Diet: In addition to calcium and vitamin D, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains provide other nutrients like magnesium and vitamin K, which are important for bone health.
- Smoking & Excessive Alcohol: Both smoking and excessive alcohol intake can weaken bones and increase the risk of fractures.
If you are concerned that you may have, or could be at risk of developing problems with your bone density consult your GP. They may refer you for a DEXA scan, which is a specialised type of x-ray that can accurately detect bone density.
Keeping our bones healthy is crucial for maintaining overall well-being. The simple measures discussed above can help ensure that our bones remain strong and healthy throughout our lives.