Experts recommend the top exercises that can enhance and preserve the strength of bones and joints.
This coincides with World Bone and Joint Week, observed from 12 to 20 October.
“Vital components of our musculoskeletal system are often taken for granted, yet they play a crucial role in our mobility, balance, and overall quality of life as part of the importance of maintaining strong bones and joints,” said Murray Hewlett, chief executive officer (CEO) of Affinity Health.
Weight-bearing exercises
The best bone-strengthening exercises are weight-bearing ones. They make you work against gravity, stimulating bone growth and helping maintain bone density. Walking, jogging, hiking – any activity where you are on your feet and moving – counts.
Research suggests that individuals who regularly engage in weight-bearing activities tend to have higher bone mass than those who lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Other research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found women who participated in weight-bearing exercises had a lower risk of developing hip fractures after menopause.
Strength training
Strength training entails building muscle by performing resistance exercises like weightlifting or anything using resistance bands. These workouts boost the number of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells), while firming up supporting muscles around the bones.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that individuals who regularly participate in strength-training routines experience enhanced bone mineral density in areas where osteoporosis is likely to take effect, such as the spine and hips.
Yoga
Yoga provides a low-impact way to improve bone and joint health. By doing poses that require balance, flexibility and strength, yoga can help enhance mobility, reduce stiffness, and even boost bone density in areas like the spine and hips. Aligning your bones properly also helps protect them from undue stress from everyday activities.
Pilates
Pilates emphasises building core strength, improving flexibility and enhancing body awareness. It also strengthens the muscles that support the spine and hips. Pilates is low-impact and suitable for all ages.
Swimming
Because water buoyancy reduces pressure on painful joints, swimming is ideal for individuals who suffer from inflammatory joint conditions like arthritis.
Cycling
Cycling helps strengthen muscles around your knees, hips and ankles without straining these areas. Regular cycling also boosts cardiovascular fitness, contributing to overall well-being, and can help reduce pain in individuals with knee osteoarthritis, according to research published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.
Jumping rope
This is a high-impact activity that helps build bone density. Compared to jogging, it is twice as efficient in increasing density. It also helps promote cardiovascular health and develop leg muscles that facilitate joint stability.
Stretching
Although stretching does not directly increase bone density, it helps maintain flexibility and prevent stiffness, improving joint movement range. Stretching before and after any workout helps reduce the likelihood of strains and sprains by promoting flexibility in muscles and ligaments surrounding the joint.
Mobility, balance and overall well-being are all rooted in having strong bones and flexible joints.
