The national physical activity guidelines emphasize the importance of strong muscles as well as strong bones. Improving your bone quality reduces the risk of fractures for both young and old and contributes to your overall health and vitality. However, the importance of strong bones is greater for those aged 55 and over than for the younger generation.
Although strengthening muscles and bones often go hand in hand, you can pay specific attention to your bones without relying on a gym membership. Since COVID, we at RWIJK GYM in Rijswijk have seen an increasing number of people over 65 signing up for personal training programs with this as one of their goals.
In the gym, you can do many different exercises that contribute to strong bones, but the good news is that you can also do a lot outside the gym. Varying your exercise is not only fun but also helps to challenge your bones in different ways and make them stronger. Moreover, you can very well manage your own Easily enrich daily life with impactful movementsIf you find this difficult, read on and we will help you with this info item.
Why impactful movement is important for strong bones
Research underlying the national physical activity guidelines shows that impactful movements play an important role in maintaining healthy bones. These movements put strain on your bones through impact loading, such as during running, and stimulate your bone tissue to become stronger. Activities such as cycling, no matter how healthy, do not have this effect. Therefore, it is important to consciously choose activities that make a specific contribution to strengthening your bones.
Activities to strengthen your bones
Besides running, there are many other impactful movements you can do. Consider, for example:
- Walking on varied terrain (surface): This is not only good for your bones, but also for your balance and coordination.
- Burpees: Both from the ground and from an elevated platform.
- Interval training with sprints: Combine short, explosive bursts of effort with rest periods.
- Dancing: From ballroom dancing to Zumba, rhythmic movement stresses your bones in a natural way.
- Boxing on a punching bag: Ideal for combining power and impact.
- Jumping: On a trampoline, with a jump rope, or just jumping in place.
- Playing ball sports: Football, basketball, and tennis are dynamic activities that challenge your bones.
How to get started?
Do you not have much experience with impactful movements yet? Then start slowly and build up gradually. This is very important to prevent injuries! For example, choose a brisk daily walk and add challenging activities later. Start at a low intensity and slowly increase the frequency and load.
Are you already active, or do you not know where to start? The personal trainers at RWIJK GYM are happy to help you create a personalized, tailor-made program or show you how to add variety to your existing routine to challenge your bones in different ways.
*Important: If you are undergoing treatment or have an increased risk of bone fractures, consult your treating physician or physiotherapist before starting impactful movements.
Assignment: Your challenge
Consider how you can integrate impactful movements into your daily life. Choose one of the activities from the list and try it out at least twice this coming week. Start with a short session (5 to 10 min.) and then evaluate how it feels in the following days. Do you feel comfortable? Then slowly extend the duration first. Always increase the duration (time) before you increase the intensity. With this type of exercise, the saying "runners are dead ends" applies well. This means that if you ask too much of your body too quickly, you increase the risk of injury. So pay close attention to this!
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