Did you know the health of your bones depends on how strong you are?
When we think of pumping iron, we think of strong muscles first. The mechanical stress of lifting weights also strengthens our skeleton, too. Your bones are highly sensitive to how you challenge your body, just like your muscles!
Active individuals have much stronger bones than sedentary people. This difference in bone health often begins in childhood based on nutrition and physical activity.
In the US, sitting time in children is almost eight hours a day, and many don’t exercise enough. Movements that strengthen the skeleton include running and jumping. Without exercise, bone density suffers. For example, adolescents who exercise less than 40 minutes a day have thinner bones than those who are more active. And the same study confirms that among active adolescents, those who reach higher intensities of exercise have stronger bones, too.
Why does intensity matter? Exercise intensity usually comes with higher impact forces on the bones, and stronger muscle contractions. Exercise that is low-impact is unable to stimulate bone density improvements in most studies. For example, bone density surveys show that kids who swim regularly (low-impact) have a lower bone density than those who participate in land sports. In a similar way, those who run (on trails, roads or stairs) often develop much stronger bones, because the impact and the intensity drives healthy bone remodeling.
Even though a spin bike or elliptical offers intense workouts, the impact is very low, so maximal bone strength is not realized. These modalities have excellent value, though, because low impact still lets you build your fitness, endurance, and muscle strength. Low impact options are ideal for those with a history of orthopedic injuries or incontinence, and both are very common issues.
It’s true that our bone remodeling capacity slows with age, but we are never too old to build bone strength. If we do not exercise, we lose bone strength starting in our 30s. Strength training can slow or stop this process. And the right kinds of workouts can even help us regain bone density.
This is a major call-to-action for most adults. Low bone mass affects 52% of women over 50 and 34% of men. Strength training is effective for those with low bone mass and even osteoporosis (a more advanced form of bone weakness that affects 13% of adults over 50). Research suggests that strength training can help those with osteoporosis to stop their bones from continuing to weaken as they age.
Strength-building exercise can turn the clock back on your bone strength. Examples of studies that assessed bone mass density of the thigh show small but significant improvements. For example, 4 months of strength training in previously sedentary men (average age 60) increased bone mass density by 2.8% . And after 12 months, strength training increased the bone density of postmenopausal women by 1.6%, while the control group who remained sedentary lost 3.6% of their bone mass!
Bone represents just one of many tissues positively affected by strength training. There’s also your muscles, of course, as well as the functional benefits from having a stronger, more coordinated body. The strength of your tendons also increases when you train for strength, and this can even reduce your experience of bodily aches and pains. These benefits are all possible with strength training.
If you are on the fence about getting started, it may help you to know that it’s not just how your body feels, but also how YOU feel overall. Your daily mood is very sensitive to exercise. For example, several studies confirm that when you start strength training, you feel better. The benefits are worth the challenge of moving outside your comfort zone. Find your motivating environment and the support you need to get started today!
As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
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