Osteoporosis means "porous bones." This disease causes your bones to weaken, increasing your susceptibility to bone fractures. Osteoporosis often results from low levels of minerals, especially calcium, in your bones, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your bones may weaken to the point that even bending over or coughing can result in a bone fracture. Aerobic workouts can combat this disease and help to strengthen your bones.
Benefits of Aerobics
Aerobic workouts help you control your weight while providing numerous additional benefits. The Mayo Clinic reports that regular physical activity can increase muscle strength, improve balance, make activities of daily living easier, prevent poor posture, relieve pain and improve your sense of well-being. Regular aerobic workouts can decrease your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol levels and decrease your risk of serious medical conditions such as diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
Weight-Bearing Aerobic Workouts
Weight-bearing exercise places tension on your muscles and bones, causing the density of bones to increase by as much as two to eight percent each year in young adults, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. In older adults and those with osteoporosis, exercise can help prevent further loss of bone. Weight-bearing exercise consists of exercising on your feet while your feet and legs support your body weight. These exercises target the main areas of fractures caused by osteoporosis, including the lower spine, hips and legs. Common weight-bearing aerobic workouts include low-impact aerobics, walking, using elliptical trainers, gardening and stair climbing.
Limited Weight-Bearing Aerobic Workouts
Other types of aerobic workouts may not do much to combat osteoporosis, but they do help you prevent osteoporosis complications and improve your health. Swimming and bike riding may not strengthen bone, but they do provide heart and health benefits. Plan to include a minimum of 30 minutes of moderately intense aerobic activity into most days of the week, recommends the American College of Sports Medicine. Workouts such as tai chi and yoga help improve your concentration, balance and strength, which may decrease your risk of fractures associated with falling.
Exercises to Avoid
Certain aerobic workouts increase your risk of fracture through compression. Avoid high-impact exercises such as running, jumping or any activity that requires rapid, jerky movements. Aerobic activities that require you to bend forward or twist at your waist, such as doing sit-ups, touching your toes, playing golf, bowling and some yoga poses, place excess pressure on your spine and should also be avoided. Talk to your doctor prior to starting an aerobic workout to ensure the safety of your exercise choice.
Strength Training and Flexibility
Strength-training and flexibility exercises also help prevent and treat osteoporosis. Flexibility exercises help you maintain balance, prevent muscle injury and help maintain good posture. Focus on including flexibility, or stretching, exercises after your aerobic workout while your muscles are still warm. Strength training works directly on your bones to slow mineral loss. Include strength-training exercises that require the use of free weights, resistance bands or weight machines to strengthen the bones and muscles in your upper spine and arms.
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