A diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis can be scary; leading a number of people to quit exercisse due to fear it will cause fractures. The truth is that those with low bone mass should make sure to exercise regularly. Being active may not merely help alleviate problems with osteoporosis, but slow bone loss once it has already begun.

Before beginning a training program, it is important to consult your doctor for guidelines, as degree of bone loss determines exactly what workout is best. Physicians can assess bone density and fracture risk by scanning the body using a special type of X-ray machine.

As well as exercise, treatment may include dietary modifications and/or estrogen replacement therapy. The more knowledge you get concerning this condition, the more you can do to help prevent its onset.

To create strength and bone mass, both weight-bearing and resistance training workouts are ideal. Weight-bearing workouts are those that require the bones to fully support your weight against gravity. Examples are walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing or using an elliptical trainer.

Non-weight bearing exercises include biking, swimming, water aerobics and rowing.
Weight-bearing activities which include walking less than 3 times weekly will benefit the bones. Resistance training places mechanical force (stress) on our bodies, that might increases bone density. Start by lifting light weights, moving in a slow and controlled manner, increasing resistance when you become stronger.

It’s always strongly suggested that people with osteoporosis avoid the following forms of activity:

• Step aerobics and high-impact activities such as running, jumping, tennis.
• Activities that involve rounding, bending and twisting on the spine.
• Moving the legs sideways or across the body, particularly when performed against resistance.
• Rowing machines, trampolines.
• Any kind of movement that involves pulling on the head and neck.

Exercise Tips:

• Even if you don’t have osteoporosis, you should check with your health care provider before you begin a fitness program.
• Make sure to warm up before starting and cool down at the conclusion of each exercise session.
• To get the best benefit to your bone health, combine several different weight-bearing exercises.
• As you build strength, increase resistance, or weights, rather than repetitions.
• Make sure to drink a lot of water whenever exercising.
• Vary the types of exercise that you do each week.
• Combine weight bearing and resistance exercise with aerobic exercises to help you improve your general health.
• Bring your friend along to assist you keep going or in addition to this, bring your family and encourage them to be healthy.

Add more work out to your day; take the stairs vs. the elevator, park further way, and walk to your co-worker’s office as an alternative to emailing.

Put LIVE into action!

L – Load or weight-bearing exercises make a difference for your bones

I – Intensity builds stronger bones.

V – Vary the kinds of exercise and your routine to keep interested.

E – Enjoy your exercises. Make exercise fun so you will continue in to the future!

Certain factors raise the likelihood of developing osteoporosis. While many of these risk factors are controllable, others aren’t. Risk factors that could be controlled are: Sedentary lifestyle, excess intake of protein, sodium, caffeine and/or alcohol, smoking, calcium and Vitamin D deficiencies and taking certain medicines.

Body size (small frame), gender, family history and ethnicity are risk factors that are not to be controlled. Women can lose as much as 20 percent of their bone mass in the five to seven years after menopause, making them more subject to osteoporosis. It’s never too early to start thinking of bone mineral density. About 85-90 % of adult bone mass is acquired by age 18 in girls and 20 in boys. Nutrition and Exercise for Healthy Bones when people are young and Adolescence. Much of the reserve of healthy bone is built in youth and before the age of 30.

Women could be more vunerable to an inadequate foundation process at this time than men. Sufficient calcium intake,a structured diet with a lot of vegetables and fruit and load-bearing exercise are the secrets of solid bone growth when you’re young. Then, with continued exercise into old age — and this benefits men too — bone density decline could be kept to a minimum. Although women are the main focus of data about osteoporosis and low bone density (osteopenia), some men are also seriously afflicted by this problem.

Even if you do each of the right things while growing up and into adulthood, your inherited characteristics – your genes – can present you with bones that are susceptible to steoporosis. This is even greater reason to maximize your lifestyle to prevent poor bone health.

About the Author – Michelle Aultman writes for the elliptical workout for fat loss blog, her personal hobby blog centered on suggestions to prevent osteoporosis trough home fitness.

Author’s note: The details provided on this post are designed to support, not substitute, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician.

Michelle Aultman has not professional intent and does not accept direct source of advertising coming from health or pharmaceutical companies, doctors or clinics and websites.

All content provided by her is based on her editorial judgment and it’s not driven by an advertising purpose.

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