Cardiac muscle

When you exercise regularly, your bone adapts by building more bone and becoming denser. This improvement in bone requires good nutrition, including adequate calcium and Vitamin D. Another benefit of exercise is that it improves balance and coordination.

The first and most important way to keep bones strong is through weight-bearing exercises. That’s because they either use the weight of your body or other weight to make the body work against gravity. Under that weight-stress, the bones get the message to build more bone cells.

It should include plenty of protein and foods rich in vitamins and minerals that support bone health. Summary: Diets providing too few calories have been found to reduce bone density, even when combined with resistance exercise. Consume a balanced diet with at least 1,200 calories daily to preserve bone health.

By stressing your bones, strength training can increase bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Manage your weight. Strength training can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories.

Exercises that increase testosterone “Research has shown that lifting heavier weights is the best form of exercise to boost testosterone,” says Dr. Jadick. “As muscle mass increases, it will trigger the body to produce more testosterone.”

The body naturally removes old bone and replaces it with new bone. This is when you are building stronger and denser bones. Around age 30, most people reach their peak bone mass. After reaching peak bone mass, your body replaces about as much as it loses for a while.

Weight-bearing and resistance exercises are the best for your bones. Weight-bearing exercises force you to work against gravity. They include walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, playing tennis, and dancing. Resistance exercises – such as lifting weights – can also strengthen bones.

Examples of bone-strengthening activity include jumping jacks, running, brisk walking, and weight-lifting exercises. As these examples illustrate, bone-strengthening activities can also be aerobic and muscle strengthening.

What counts as bone-strengthening activity?

• activities that require children to lift their body weight or to work against a resistance.
• jumping and climbing activities, combined with the use of playground equipment and toys.
• games such as hopscotch.
• skipping with a rope.
• walking.
• running.
• gymnastics.
• football.

Calcium

• milk, cheese and other dairy foods.
• green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage and okra, but not spinach.
• soya beans.
• tofu.
• plant-based drinks (such as soya drink) with added calcium.
• nuts.
• bread and anything made with fortified flour.
• fish where you eat the bones, such as sardines and pilchards.

For example, weight-bearing exercises can build healthy bone. These exercises involve challenging your muscle strength against gravity and putting pressure on your bones….These exercises are easy to do at home.

• Foot stomps.
• Bicep curls.
• Shoulder lifts.
• Hamstring curls.
• Hip leg lifts.
• Squats.
• Ball sit.
• Standing on one leg.

With low bone density or osteoporosis, you should avoid:

• Rounding poses or rounded spine movements.
• Spine twist or any deep twists.
• Corkscrew or bicycle.
• Deep hip stretches (like the pigeon pose)
• Warrior pose.
• Overpressure from teachers.

Foods to limit or avoid

• High-salt foods.
• Alcohol. While a moderate amount of alcohol is considered safe for those with osteoporosis, excess alcohol can lead to bone loss.
• Beans/legumes. While beans have some healthy attributes for women with osteoporosis, they’re also high in phytates.
• Wheat bran.
• Excess vitamin A.
• Caffeine.

Treating osteoporosis means stopping the bone loss and rebuilding bone to prevent breaks. Healthy lifestyle choices such as proper diet, exercise, and medications can help prevent further bone loss and reduce the risk of fractures. But, lifestyle changes may not be enough if you have lost a lot of bone density.