Physical exercise to fight against osteoporosis

Usually your genes determine your potential height and the strength of your skeleton, but your lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise can influence how healthy your bones are. Regular exercise improves health in many ways. People who engage in regular exercise have lower rates of depression, heart disease, dementia, cancer, diabetes and many other chronic diseases. Exercise can improve physical fitness, strength, energy levels, stamina and mental health. In children and teens, frequent and vigorous exercise helps to increase bone strength. In older adults, certain types of exercise help to prevent bone loss. Exercise also improves balance and coordination, which helps prevent falls and this in turn may reduce fractures. Regular exercise is essential. Adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. If you’ve been diagnosed with osteoporosis the best thing to do is to talk to your doctor before you take up any new exercise activity, to make sure it is right for you. ...

Typical exercises for prevention of osteoporosis include:

(1) Weight-bearing exercises: Weight-bearing exercises are exercises where your feet and legs support your weight (running, skipping, dancing, aerobics and even jumping up and down on the spot etc). Wearing appropriate shoes is crucial.

(2) Resistance exercises: Resistance exercises use muscle strength, where the action of the tendons pulling on the bones boosts bone strength (press-ups, weightlifting or using weight equipment at a gym)...