by Julie Latchem

Created on: October 15, 2008   Last Updated: October 30, 2008

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How exercise benefits your bones

We often think about how exercise keeps us fit and healthy by improving our cardiovascular system and making our muscles stronger, but do you know the benefits exercise has on our skeletal system?

Our skeletal system is hugely important, it provides us with support for tissue and muscle, which create our bodily shape; it protects our vital organs, helps us move by providing attachments for muscles, and acts as a storage system for many vital minerals and immature blood cells.

Our bones go about their daily business holding us up and helping us carry out the terrific range of possible tasks we undertake each and every day. They do however require some looking after to ensure they stay in good working order.

As we age we all naturally loose bone mass, our bones loose calcium, our bodies produce and process less proteins to help us constantly replenish bone stores and we experience changes in our hormone levels. Women reach low levels of bone mass more quickly and are at greater risk of becoming osteoporotic than men, due to their smaller frames and the reduction of oestrogen levels they experience due to the menopause.

Carrying out exercise helps us maintain or even improve our bone density, prevents further loss in bone strength and encourages healing where necessary. Our bone density can be improved due to the body responding to mechanical stresses we put through our skeletal system when exercising.

Placing weight through our bones and joints or carrying out any activity that provides resistance to our muscles, making them work against gravity for example, is providing our skeletal system with mechanical stress. Where these mechanical stresses are applied, more mineral salts are deposited in these areas, more collagen fibres are produced and our bones are able to absorb more calcium. This in turn increases the density and size of bone in these areas.

So what is the best exercise to be taking to help us maintain our bone density? All research and recommendations point to weight-baring and resistance exercises. Running, jogging, step aerobics, racquet sports, weight lifting, hiking, mountain climbing and push-ups are a few examples. You don't however have to access a gym or the great outdoors to perform weigh-baring activities; dancing, gardening and stair climbing will do the trick too!

It is recommended that weight-baring exercises be carried out at least three times a week, for at least half an hour. It is not necessary to carry out 30 minutes of exercise in one block; research shows that breaking it down into three 10-minute slots is just as effective.
Whilst it seems immensely beneficial to utilise exercise to maintain healthy bones, care must be taken with children and those who have osteoporosis or osteopenia. For children, whose bones and muscles are still developing, they should not engage in large amounts of sport or activities involving high degrees of mechanical stress, as their young bones are softer and more flexible in structure compared with adult bones and are not able to absorb the same high forces.

Adults who are aware that they are osteoporotic or osteopenic, must consider that although weight-baring exercise is indeed crucial, it needs to be carried out in a sensible way. Starting slowly and building up the amount of time spent carrying out weight baring exercise and the overall resistance put through the skeletal system will avoid damaging bone before it has had a chance to respond to the increasing stresses being applied. If you are unsure as to exactly how much and what type of exercise you should be doing, consult your Doctor and Physical Therapist who will be able to guide you.our article here

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