Category Archives: Weight Bearing

How to Exercise Safely with Bone Loss-Free NOF Webinar

How to Exercise Safely with Bone Loss-Free NOF Webinar

If you weren’t able to attend NOF’s live webinar, “How to Exercise Safely with Bone Loss” on Wednesday, here’s the link to the recording. March 7, 2018: Join NOF for our second online community webinar on Wednesday, March 7 at noon Eastern. NOF online community volunteer moderator, personal trainer and physical education instructor, Susie Hathaway… Continue Reading

Osteoporosis Diagnosis & Lifetime Exerciser?

Osteoporosis Diagnosis & Lifetime Exerciser?

Have you exercised your whole life and, unfortunately, still managed to get an osteoporosis diagnosis? It’s extraordinarily disappointing for those who’ve been doing everything “right”! It makes you wonder why some who are so active can end up with a diagnosis of low bone density (osteopenia) or osteoporosis.  Some way or another, something interfered with… Continue Reading

5 Tips for Building Balance to Prevent Falls and Fractures

5 Tips for Building Balance to Prevent Falls and Fractures

Osteoporosis and fractures are things we all want to avoid. Balance is one of the keys to remaining fracture free, no matter what a person’s bone density, because most fractures occur from a fall. But, unless we train for it, balance tends to diminish as the years go by, just like muscle strength. Here are… Continue Reading

Osteoporosis Exercise Resources

Osteoporosis Exercise Resources

Exercise with bone loss is my area of focus as an ACSM certified personal trainer because many of my class participants and clients have osteoporosis or low bone density, commonly called osteopenia. As one of the four volunteer moderators on the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s online Support Community, I comment on questions regarding safer ways to exercise. If you’d… Continue Reading

Swimming Good for Bones?

Swimming Good for Bones?

Swimming is a WONDERFUL exercise for muscles throughout your whole body, but usually isn’t advised as a bone strengthening exercise to prevent osteoporosis. This is because it’s not weight bearing with the beneficial effect that gravity produces on our skeleton. In water we lose around 5/6 of the body weight that we have on land.… Continue Reading

4 Tips for Starting an Osteoporosis Prevention Exercise Program

4 Tips for Starting an Osteoporosis Prevention Exercise Program

Ease into any new exercise program. As you start increasing your daily exercise to help your bones, be sure to do it gradually. You don’t need to start with a huge overload. Working a little bit harder than what you’ve been doing in any activity will help your muscles safely get stronger which then creates a stronger pull on your bones during exercise. Continue Reading

Do Resistance Bands Build Bone Density?

Do Resistance Bands Build Bone Density?

I got a question today from Maggie about whether resistance bands will really build bone. Good question, Maggie! Muscle strengthening exercises exert a pull on bones, no matter what method is used, weights, bands, exercise machines, or body weight. Muscles are attached to our skeleton by tendons. When you work muscles a little harder than usual,… Continue Reading

Weighted Vests for Osteoporosis Prevention

Weighted Vests for Osteoporosis Prevention

Research on weighted vests has shown promising results for osteoporosis prevention. It’s another strength training tool to increase muscle strength which stimulates the development of bone strength. If you have health issues or bone loss, work with a physical therapist or other qualified health professional before using a weighted vest or belt to make sure that you can move safely while wearing it. Tips when wearing a weighted vest:

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Q & A: Weight training for osteoporosis, toned body after 60, “batwings”, and elliptical trainers.

Q & A: Weight training for osteoporosis, toned body after 60, “batwings”, and elliptical trainers.

Just how tight everything gets depends a lot on genetics, skin tone, and body composition (fat to lean body mass ratio). Yes! You can achieve a very, very strong, body. The point is to strengthen your muscles, building a nice solid base underneath your skin. It does make a visible difference. But, honestly? We need to work with what we can control, our exercise and healthy diet, and let go of the unrealistic expectation that gravity and years won’t have an effect on our skin. Our bodies work and they’re beautiful!
My advice? Go for health. Don’t be too hard on yourself, do your strength training regularly, read Younger Next Year for Women, and have fun being active!! ….and keep your arm muscles flexed when you wave! 🙂 Continue Reading

Keep Strength Training for a FUN 2nd Half of Your Life!

Keep Strength Training for a FUN 2nd Half of Your Life!

As a kid, I didn’t really expect at age 62 to be strength training to prevent osteoporosis OR doing a few of the FUN activities that came my way this summer. Learning to surf behind my brother’s boat tops the list! I had thought that those kind of days were behind me. But, when I… Continue Reading