It happens far too often: You go to the gym with a big fitness goal in mind, then suffer a painful injury that keeps you from exercising for weeks or longer. Injuries are common in everyone, from beginners to champions, but there are a few simple tricks for keeping damage at bay and protecting your bone health as you go.
What are some quick tips to prevent injury while working out?
Push yourself, but be aware of limitations. Listen to your body and strive to stretch your limits, but not so far that something snaps. If you are over 50, consider having a bone density scan before starting a new exercise program, since many people have osteoporosis and don’t even know it.
How does exercise help strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis, safely and naturally?
Bone is naturally broken down and rebuilt all the time. The problem is that as we age, bone breaks down faster than it rebuilds, leading to porous, fragile bones (osteoporosis). Exercise is nature’s way of combating this bone loss; high impact workouts help rebuild lost bone mass. Osteoporosis occurs when even this can’t replace bone quickly enough.
What are the best exercises to keep our bones strong?
Strength training alone isn’t enough to trigger significant bone growth, especially later in life. The best way to build lots of bone quickly is through osteogenic loading, a highly controlled series of impact-level resistance movements that kickstarts major bone growth immediately, a process that continues for several days. Osteogenic loading is sweat-free, pain-free, completely natural, and takes less than 10 minutes a week.
Why are stretching and a good warm-up important?
Stretching limbers muscles so they are less likely to strain during hard exercise. The same goes for a warm-up. It’s better to send your body signals that you are about to work out and allow your heart rate to gradually rise than jump straight in.
About the Author
John Jaquish, PhD is the inventor of multiple patented technologies used by OsteoStrong, the health and wellness system that helps clients between ages 8 and 98 build stronger bones, improved strength, and better balance in less than 10 minutes a week. OsteoStrong introduced a new era in modern wellness and anti-aging in 2011 and has since helped thousands of improve strength, balance, endurance, and bone density.