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What you didn’t know about bone health and exercise

Wednesday, May 2017

What you didn’t know about bone health and exercise

 How training outdoors and using a variety of exercise techniques is best for your bones.

By Harriet Edmund

Did you know bone is actually metabolically active tissue?

Each day, old bone is broken down (called bone resorption) and new bone is created (called bone formation), explains Sport Dietitians Australia.

“Physical activity is generally associated with good bone health as the weight placed on your bone puts the bone under strain sending a signal to form new bone,” says SDA.

Healthy bones matter because they protect your brain, heart and other organs from injury. And, while osteoporosis is usually a disease suffered later in life, you can reduce your risk while you are young by exercising regularly and eating the right foods.

So, how much – and what type of – exercise do you need to build stronger and denser bones?

According to Healthy Bones Australia, 30-minutes of bone building exercise four to six times a week can help maintain better bone density.

Short, high intensity bursts of exercise rather than long, slower, low impact sessions are the most beneficial for bone health. In particular, bones respond well to these four types of workouts:

• 1.Weight-bearing exercises such as brisk walking, hiking, stair climbing, tennis, netball, jogging and aerobic dance.
• 2.Resistance training such as leg press, seated rowing, using free weights like dumbbells or ankle weights.
• 3.High impact exercise such as skipping, jogging, jumping, netball and basketball
• 4.Balance training such as using an exercise ball, tai-chi and yoga

When it comes to exercising outdoors, SDA says this exposes you to the best source of Vitamin D – sunlight. And, Vitamin D is essential for helping your gut absorb calcium.

The thing about calcium is that if you’re not getting enough of it through your diet, your body will start to release calcium from its biggest reservoir – your bones – to stabilise blood levels.

“That’s way it’s important to include calcium rich foods such as dairy or calcium enriched alternatives each day,” says SDA.

Don’t miss our blog on how exercise – and these nine other ways – can improve sleep.