Adequate nutrition and strength training are often hailed as the keys to strong bones. But there’s even more you can do to support your bone density, which begins to decline as we age. One example is impact training.
Despite the name, impact training doesn’t mean you have to withstand a great force trying to knock you down. You will, however, learn to brace for impacts of various intensities to condition your bones and joints to handle them effectively.
Impact train now and you’ll find yourself more than ready to take on the jolts that come with aging, injury-free and standing tall, experts say.
Fitness Tip of the Day: Prioritize Impact Training To Support Bone Health
Impact training calls on the body to strike an object with force, or land on your feet after a jump. Think jumping or boxing, TODAY.com previously reported.
The impact “sends a vibration signal to the cells” in the bones, Dr. Jocelyn Wittstein, an orthopedic surgeon and author of “The Complete Bone and Joint Health Plan,” tells TODAY.com. The vibration then stimulates those cells to form more bone.
Why It Matters
While you can stimulate this kind of bone growth throughout the body, “impact training is especially effective at building bone density in the hip region, which is one of the regions at risk for fracture as we age,” says Wittstein.
Hip fracture is a life-altering injury for aging populations, snatching independence, and devastating mobility and mental health, research has found. Up to 50% of those who fracture their hips when older than 65 die within six months. Those who do survive may never regain the lifestyle they once had.
How to Get Started
There’s no need to overdo it, warns Wittstein. The exercises you choose “may look different to you at different phases of your life depending on the limitations or conditions you’re experiencing,” she explains.
Those with osteoporosis, knee arthritis, a recently healed fracture, or pelvic prolapse that’s still symptomatic should take it easier. Then, once you can handle it, up the ante, she says.
The easiest kind of impact exercise is walking. The contact your heel makes with the ground will stimulate bone growth in your hips. Once you master walking consistently, take things up a notch by walking more briskly, suggests Wittstein.
You can also try stepping down from an elevated platform, one leg at a time, or stomp your feet, Wittstein suggested.
“The next level of intensity could be heel drops,” she says.
Start by removing your shoes and standing with your feet hip width on a hard surface. Rise up onto your tip toes and then drop them down the ground without controlling your descent. You’ll likely hear a thud if you’re doing it right, Wittstein says.
Higher intensity impact training includes squat jumps with a stuck landing and squat jumps with a rebound, which are slightly more challenging.
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