HOW TO PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS
Learn easy-to-do exercises to protect your bones from young to old
By Cindy Ng | Reprinted with permission from Ezyhealth and Beauty Magazine
OUR bones form our skeletal structure. As we age, our bones become less dense. This often leads to osteoporosis.
What is osteoporosis?
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Panel on Osteoporosis in 2001 defined osteoporosis as “a skeletal disorder characterised by compromised bone strength predisposing a person to an increased risk of fracture.”
Our bones undergo a constant process of breakdown and rebuilding. This is affected by age, calcium level, Vitamin D, hormones and mechanical stress.
If one is physically active, the bones are less likely to be brittle or weak enough to fracture or break if one trips and falls. Sedentary lifestyle is an important risk factor for osteoporosis besides family history and being female.
Other benefits of exercise include improving one’s fitness level, maintaining posture, enhancing the quality of life and ability to carry out daily activities, and managing or reducing aches and pains. It also trengthens joints, as well as improves flexibility and balance, thus reducing risks of falls. Inactivity can increase bone loss, thus it is never too late to be active.
Exercise for healthy bones
Regular exercise plays a big role in strengthening our bones, and in improving our physical fitness and health in general. Exercise encompasses aerobic-based activity, strength training, stretching, and balance training.
Do aerobic-based activities that are weight bearing or impact exercises. Strength training includes doing arm and leg exercises using free weights and elastic tubings or bands. The main muscles to target are your quadriceps, gluteals, hamstrings, back, shoulders, arms and chest.
Stretching is essential to maintain flexibility and helps to prevent muscle aches and pain. Balance or coordination training can be done with tai qi and line dancing.
However, there are exercises to be avoided too. These include dynamic abdominal exercises such as sit ups, twisting movements such as golf swing, repetitive trunk flexion, abrupt, high impact or explosive loading such as high jump.
Exercising through puberty is important in producing a stronger skeleton; thus, one should start young to stay active. But it’s never too late to start even after menopause. Research shows that impact exercises reduce the rate of bone loss or lead to some bone gain at least in the short term.
We can actively prevent the accelerated deterioration of our bones. The choice is ours!
| Basic exercise schedule | |||
| Frequency | Intensity | Time / Duration | Type |
| 3 to 7 days a week |
Heart rate = 60 to 75 per cent of (220-age) |
20 to 60 minutes | Weight bearing or impact exercises including brisk walking, jogging/running, line dancing, low to high impact aerobics, jump training and gym exercises. |
| 2 to 3 days a week |
Elastic bands/tubings or free weights (1 to 3 kg) |
2 sets of 10 to 15 repetitions |
Strength or weight training |
| Daily | Hold stretch for 10 to 15 seconds |
1 to 3 repetitions | Quadriceps,hamstrings, calf, shoulders, chest, back |
| 3 to 7 days a week |
Practise for a few minutes a day |
Tai qi Dancing | |
Cindy Ng is the Principal Physiotherapist at Singapore General Hospital.
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Source:How To Prevent Osteoporosis
