Related topics: •  Osteoporosis: An Overview •  Working Out •  Workout Plan to Improve Your Shape

As you age, your bones can grow fragile without your body showing symptoms to alert you, and later in life, you could end up with a serious or even life-threatening fracture or a collapsed vertebra in your back. Osteoporosis, a condition in which bone mass decreases dangerously, affects 8 million women, including 20 percent of non-Hispanic Caucasian and Asian women over 50.

Among people over 50, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, one out of two women and one out of four men will suffer an osteoporotic fracture. Almost a quarter of those who fracture a hip because of osteoporosis die in the year following the injury. Yet this condition is eminently preventable. The secret to avoiding brittle bones? Calcium, vitamin D, and lots of exercise.

Developing a strong skeleton in the first decades of life is crucial to preventing adult osteoporosis. "Bone density increases exponentially when you're young," says Dr. Barbara Drinkwater, a research physiologist at Pacific Medical Center in Seattle. By the time you're 35, your bones have reached their peak mass and -- unless you take preventive measures -- bone tissue starts to be reabsorbed into the body faster than new tissue is formed, she says. Furthermore, your body's natural estrogen guards against bone loss, so when levels of this hormone fall after menopause, you can start losing 1 to 3 percent of your bone mass each year. Over their lifetimes, women may lose 30 to 50 percent of their bone mass and men may lose 20 to 30 percent.

If, on the other hand, you're already past menopause, don't think that it's too late. Talk to your doctor about how to become active safely, and then go for it -- stronger bones are well worth the effort, and that won't be the only benefit to your health.

Study after study has shown that regular exercise can curtail or halt bone loss -- or even help you to build your bones back up again. (If you already have osteoporosis, however, you'll need to consult your doctor about appropriate ways to exercise without hurting yourself.) "Like muscle, bone is a living, growing tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger," says Thomas Einhorn, chief of orthopedic surgery at Boston Medical Center. "Therefore, increased stress -- in the form of exercise -- stimulates bone cell activity, and this leads to increased bone density and strength."

A combination of weight-bearing and weight-lifting exercises is the best approach. A weight-bearing exercise is an activity in which your muscles and bones work against gravity to move your body; your choices include jogging, hiking, stair climbing, tennis, aerobics classes, jumping rope, and even dancing. Swimming and cycling, though excellent forms of aerobic exercise, don't fit the bill because the water and the bicycle, respectively, support your body.

The answer depends on whom you talk to. A few recent studies have shown that the more bone-jarring the activity (within reason), the better it is for your bones. It's possible that walking doesn't stress your skeleton enough to activate the bone-building process, though it may be enough to keep you from losing bone.

Yet it's far better to walk than to do nothing, says Christine Snow, director of the bone research laboratory at Oregon State University. "I would never discourage anyone from walking, particularly a frail person," she says. Moreover, many respected organizations, including the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, continue to recommend walking as a measure for warding off osteoporosis. If walking is your favorite exercise, consider adding just a few minutes of jumping rope or climbing up and down your staircase each day. Another option: Jump as high as you can several times a day.

Weight lifting or another form of resistance work is a great, direct way to stress your skeleton; your body responds by building up the bone mass, getting prepared for the next time you put such demands on your frame. Try not to let the idea of lifting weights intimidate you -- this activity is not just for bodybuilders anymore. Because proper form is crucial to both remaining injury-free and working your body efficiently, a good bet is to hire a personal trainer for a few sessions of coaching on how to use dumbbells. You don't have to belong to a gym: Some trainers will come to your home, and you can get a decent set of weights from a sporting goods store without spending a fortune. (If you really don't want to spend the money, you can use common household objects such as water jugs or soup cans as weights.)

For optimal benefits, you need to work each major muscle group three days a week, says Michael E. Rogers, director of the Center for Physical Activity and Aging at Wichita State University in Kansas. The standard approach is to choose a weight for each exercise with which you can comfortably do eight to 15 repetitions -- this is called a set -- and to do three sets of each exercise, resting between sets. Some experts, however, believe that your bones will respond more if you lift fairly heavy weights -- ones with which you labor to finish a single set of eight to 10 repetitions. Nonetheless, if you're just starting out, you may find that using 3- or 5-pound weights lets you stay focused on your form.

If you simply can't stand the idea of weights, push-ups, squats, and other floor exercises can stress your bones in a similarly beneficial way. Again, a professional trainer can teach you to perform them correctly and suggest moves that use your own body as a weight.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends moderate weight-bearing exercise three to four times a week. If your schedule doesn't allow for hour-long or even half-hour sessions, try exercising for shorter intervals two or three times a day -- say, a 10-minute jog in the morning, 10 minutes of stair climbing just before lunch, and 10 minutes of weight work in the evening. What counts is the total amount of daily activity. The type, frequency, intensity, and duration of your workouts depend on your current fitness level, but no matter where you are on the fitness spectrum, make sure your program includes exercises for the upper body as well as the lower body.

Researchers have found that moderate physical activity is safe and beneficial for people with such chronic conditions as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis. Not only does exercise strengthen bones, it relieves joint stiffness and pain, improves balance and coordination, and boosts energy and mood. If you've been sedentary for a while or have any health challenges, talk to your doctor about a good way to get started, and take it slow at first. The bottom line is simply to keep moving.

If you already have osteoporosis, you should avoid twisting or jarring the spine as well as bending forward from the waist; ask your physician which activities are best for you. So long as you're not frail or prone to falls, you might want to check out Be BoneWise -- Exercise , a video workout offered by the National Osteoporosis Foundation for $25, including shipping.

What are some resistance exercises that will benefit my bones?

•Push-up: Lie facedown on the floor, and put your hands shoulder width apart, palms flat on the floor. Slowly press upward, supporting your lower body with your toes. Extend your elbows until your arms are almost straight, then lower yourself back to the starting position. If this is difficult, support your lower body on bent knees rather than toes or push away from your kitchen counter or desk.

•Lateral raise: Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, with your arms at your sides and your palms facing in toward your body. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, raise the weights out to each side (laterally) and up until your arms are slightly above your shoulders. Slowly lower to the starting position.

•Bicep curl: Sit at the edge of a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold a dumbbell in one hand with your arm against your side and your palm facing forward. Bend at the elbow, bringing the weight toward your shoulder. Lower the weight with control. After about 10 reps, do the other arm.

•Hip strengthener: Strap a 1- to 3-pound weight around each ankle. Lie on your left side with your torso straight and your left leg slightly bent. Rest your head on your left arm, and put your right hand on the floor for support. Keeping your upper body still, lift your right leg to about a 45 degree angle without rolling backward or forward. Lower with control. Perform one set, then do your left leg.

•Calf raise: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, dumbbells in each hand (with your arms at your sides). Rise slowly onto the balls of your feet, then gradually return to the starting position.

References

Last updated April 28, 2008
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