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Preventing Osteoporosis With Exercise 
Mateen Khan

Are you faced with brittle bones, low bone mass density and increased susceptibility to fractures of hip, spine and wrist? You could be having osteoporosis that leads to a deterioration of the bone tissue, making the bones more susceptible to fracture. Many people consider brittle and broken bones as an inevitable part of ageing but doctors believe that if detected early enough, osteoporosis can be treated, prevented and can even be reversed.

 The silent disease

Often referred to as the "silent disease", osteoporosis can often occur without any symptoms. People may not know that they have osteoporosis until their bones become so weak that a sudden strain, bump, or fall causes a fracture or a vertebra to collapse. However, proper medication, diet that includes an increased intake of calcium and exercise can protect you greatly from this disease. In fact, exercise is an important part of treatment of this disease. 
 

Exercise your bones

Regular exercise not only prevents Osteoporosis, but can also slow the bone loss if it has already begun. Although you should have an overall fitness workout, which is good for your whole body but for osteoporosis and weak bones specifically, there are two types of exercises that are recommended. These are:  

Weight bearing exercises: Those in which your bone and muscles work against the force of gravity. Your legs and feet bear the weight of your body. Best examples of these are walking, jogging, playing football. Remember cycling and swimming are not weight-bearing exercises since your legs do not bear the weight. You can adjust the degree of impact by choosing from any of the weight bearing exercise. However, remember if you are already suffering from the disease you should take extra care while doing the exercises, particularly your joints. Do not overexert because your bones may already have become too weak to withstand all those twists and turns.

 Resistance training exercises: These kind of exercises utilise your muscular strength to increase muscle mass and strengthen bones. Weight lifting and working out with machines involving weight are the best choices.

Start exercising today to prevent osteoporosis and make your bones strong and tough.