Bone health for most people peaks during their 30s and begins to deteriorate after that. Exercise can help you prevent bone loss and maintain muscle strength, coordination, balance, and prevent falls and related fractures.

Resistance Exercises Are Best

Resistance and weight-bearing exercises like walking, hiking, jogging, and weight lifting make your body work against gravity which helps build bone strength. Exercises like swimming and cycling build and maintain muscle and cardiovascular strength but do very little in the way of improving bone health. Yoga has been shown to improve bone health as well and likely does this through body weight-against-gravity effects along with the pull of muscle-tendon units on the bone.

Easy At-Home Exercises To Improve Bone Health

Standing Hip Abduction

This exercise increases hip strength and promotes better balance. While standing with your feet together, knees straight, and toes pointed forward raise your leg to the side and hold for 2 seconds. Lower your leg and repeat 8-10 times with each leg. You can use a chair to hold your balance if needed. Another option would be to use a wall for support.

Standing Hip Flexion

This exercise increases hip strength and improves range of motion. While standing with your back straight, lift your knee until your thigh is parallel to the ground and hold this position for 2 seconds. Lower your leg and repeat 8-10 times with each leg. You can use a chair to hold your balance if needed.

Standing Hip Extension

This exercise increases hip strength and improves range of motion. While standing with your knees straight, lift your leg backwards while keeping your foot flexed and hold this for 2 seconds. Lower your leg and repeat 8-10 times with each leg. You can use a chair to hold your balance if needed.

Heel & Toe Raises

This exercise increases ankle strength and range of motion. While standing with your feet hip-width apart, slowly raise your heels from the ground so that you are on the balls of your feet. Lower your heels to the ground, then slowly lift your toes from the ground so that you are rocking back onto your heels. Repeat 8-10 times. You can use a chair to hold your balance if needed.

Squats

This exercise improves upper thigh strength. While standing with your feet hip-width apart, slowly bend your knees while keeping your back straight. Bend your knees while lowering your behind as if you were going to sit in a chair. If possible, keep your knees behind your toes. Hold this position for 1-2 seconds before standing up straight. Deep squatting is not recommended. Bending the knees to about 40-degrees is enough. Repeat 8-10 times. You can place a chair slightly behind you in case you fall backward. An alternative is to do a ‘wall-sit’. This is when you squat while your back is against a wall for support.