Exercise Routine for Bone Health: From Yoga to Weightlifting
As part of a lifelong bone-health plan, keeping up with a consistent and diverse fitness routine is among the healthiest lifestyle choices you can make. All anatomical systems benefit from a balanced stretching, strengthening, and cardiovascular plan; from regulated cardiovascular performance to stable musculoskeletal integrity, there are countless reasons to exercise more often!
All exercise types benefit the body in various ways. But, if you’re interested in developing an exercise routine for bone health, several exercise types stand out from the rest. Below, we explore some of the best options to support cellular bone improvements, skeletal alignment, and all-around wellness for life.
Yoga & Pilates Benefit Musculoskeletal Wellbeing in Many Profound Ways
If you have never given yoga or pilates a try, we highly recommend that you do. Despite a common misconception that yoga and pilates are easy or ineffective for full-body fitness, it takes a lifetime of conditioning, strengthening, and lengthening to master the poses and positions of these challenging practices. A typical yoga session involves a blend of targeted breathwork, static strengthening, flowing vinyasa sequences, and a combination of core, balance, and stretching techniques that require perseverance and self-awareness to do properly.
Even though yoga and pilates differs from your average cardio or strength workout, the total body benefits cover the entire cardiovascular and musculoskeletal spectrum. From healthier joints to improved skeletal alignment and strength, the long-term advantages are well worth the energy.
Cardiovascular Conditioning is Another Important Piece of the Puzzle
Jogging, swimming, or cycling your way to a healthier you is another proven way to promote long-term bone health. When your heart and lungs function better, so do the connective tissues that support your entire skeletal system. Aside from the vascular benefits such as improved blood flow and tissue oxygenation, cardiovascular workouts that have a moderate degree of impact have been shown to stimulate a moderate level of bone-building activity.
When organizing a fitness routine with bone health in mind, consider choosing a routine such as high-intensity interval training, jogging, or another heart-pumping activity like kickboxing or jumping rope for the added benefits that come with moderate impact. When the bone cells are exposed to impact forces, the natural response is to generate new tissue and increase density. This leads us to our next routine addition – weight lifting and load bearing exercises.
Targeted Strength Training is Essential
Resistance training with progressive loading further stimulates healthy bone regulation and regeneration. A step above moderate-impact cardio, utilizing weights and other progressive load techniques creates a stronger stimulation response. When a weightlifting routine is maintained over a lifetime, bone remain stronger as a result. Quite literally, body building does just that – lifting weight can help to build and maintain a stable skeletal foundation for life.
Despite the tangible musculoskeletal benefits that arise from yoga, cardio, and strength training, even the healthiest among us will still gradually lose bone density and strength. Why does this happen? Well, there are several contributing factors such as declining hormone levels, genetic conditions, and reduced cellular replication potential as we age. Beyond age 50, these bone-degenerative risk factors increase. So, what can we do to improve bone density in Medford, NJ and maintain a healthier skeletal system despite these changes?
Build a Stronger Body With Osteogenic Loading
To combat progressive bone loss and frailty as we age, our specialists maximize bone regeneration potential through an evidence-based osteoporosis treatment in Willingboro, NJ.
Safe to combine with the exercise strategies outlined above, we utilize a state-of-the-art technique called osteogenic loading to create a powerful bone-building response. Both pain-free and completed in 10 minutes each week, our bone-health plans take advantage of axial compression principles to simulate a steady impact force that sends a signal to build more bone without causing pain or injury.
Want to learn more? Contact our experts for guidance and a free first session today!
