How is your bone health, really?

Creeeak – is that the sound your knees make when you go to stand up or sit down?

Do you search for the carpark closest to the shops, hoping to save the ache in your ankles or the uncomfortable grind in your hips?

Whether you’re comfortable in active wear, hate sweating or love to move – remaining active in your ageing years is the best way to avoid a fall, or a fracture from falling.

Exercise for better bone health 

Over 60 per cent of Australians over 50 years of age now have osteoporosis, according to a recent report from Osteoporosis Australia, and early exercise intervention can be key to avoiding a preventable fall.

Some of our clients at The Bone Clinic have always enjoyed an active lifestyle but are unfortunately still fronted with low bone density scan results – or an osteoporotic diagnosis because their fitness efforts may not have been targeting bone health.

Others clients have stepped completely out of their comfort zone and found that actually, exercising doesn’t mean tight lycra and sweat – it can be about comfort, confidence, strength and balance under professional supervision.

When science meets muscle  

Our scientific research has found that high intensity movement is a great exercise base for building your bones, especially important as you age and we have found that you can actually reverse the affects of osteoporosis.

In more good news, simple changes to your activity levels and performing the right kind of exercises to improve balance and strength will significantly lessen your risk of suffering a preventable fall and subsequent fracture.

Where do I start?

Regardless of whether you have or haven’t exercised regularly in the past, as you age, it is important to engage in a highly supervised or monitored, long term program. This will yield the best results for your best asset – your bones!

Look for specially designed senior’s programs that:

• Start with light-weight balance exercises
• Gradually increase in difficulty as stability improves
• Focuses on strength and rebuilding muscle memory
• Offer a longer term option, ideally 12 – 24 months

Even small improvements in activity levels can reduce the risk of fracture.

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