Easy bone-strengthening exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home. For only 10 minutes a day.
When we reach midlife, women realise that we have to look after our bones even more than we ever have before. We become increasingly familiar with the word osteoporosis. Because as we go through perimenopause, losing bone density is one of the negative things that can happen owing to declining levels of oestrogen (and also becoming more sedentary).
But there is good news – firstly, it’s never too late to start doing bone-strengthening exercises and secondly, you don’t have to exercise for an hour a day. Yes, of course, 30 minutes would be better than 10 minutes. But to overcome the mental barrier to a longer workout, start with 10 minutes and make that a daily habit.
This is what works for me. Recently world events have been making me feel quite overwhelmed. And although I know that this is exactly the time that exercise would be beneficial, I’ve been feeling like everything is a huge mission. So now I do quick workout sessions. And this approach has made me feel more in control of my health and my life.
Bone-strengthening exercises (weight-bearing/resistance/strength training)
You may have heard that bone-strengthening exercises, weight-bearing, resistance or strength training are important as we age. But why? Well, maintaining muscle is important if we want to keep our bones strong. (Strong bones mean less chance of osteoporosis.) And weight-bearing and resistance exercises pressure the bones to encourage them to rebuild and become thicker.
These types of exercises are done on your feet so that your bones and muscles have to work against gravity to keep you upright. And they strengthen bones and muscles and improve flexibility, coordination and balance.
Related: 3 great exercises to get excited about in midlife
Here are 5 easy bone-strengthening exercises you can easily do at home
1. Strength training
When you contract and tense the muscles, they pull on the bones. And this encourages your bones to rebuild and become stronger.
Lifting dumbells is easy to do at home. And even if you don’t have dumbells, you can use canned goods or full water bottles which would work just as well. Start off with 1kg weights and progress to heavier ones. I’ve worked my way up to 4kgs and I don’t think I’ll lift anything heavier than that. I prefer to do more repetitions than struggle to lift the weights. The kinds of lifts you could do:
- Bicep curls – Starting with your arms down, pull the weights in towards your chest and lower back down to starting position. Repeat for a set of 10-12, rest and repeat for a second set.
- Shoulder lifts – Starting with your arms down at your sides, slowly raise your arms out in front of you, no higher than shoulder height being careful not to lock your elbows, and lower back down. Repeat 10-12 times, rest and try a second set.
2. Resistance training
These exercises use mechanical resistance from weight-bearing, such as your body weight. You could also do the strength exercises with resistive bands instead of hand weights.
- Standing pushups – Stand about 3 feet from a wall, facing it. Place your hands shoulder-width apart at chest level against the wall. Bend your elbows as you lean into the wall. Then straighten your elbows and push your body weight away from the wall. Do a set of 10-12, rest and repeat.
- Squats – Start with your feet hip-width apart. Bend at your knees to slowly squat down. Keep your back straight while leaning slightly forward. Squat until your thighs are parallel with the floor and then return to standing. Repeat 10-12 times, rest and repeat.
3. Balance and core training
Your core includes your stomach muscles, back muscles, and pelvic girdle. Balance and core training can help you to avoid feeling unsteady on your feet and falling.
- Standing on one leg – This one is as easy as it sounds. Hold onto a piece of furniture if necessary. Stand on one foot for 2 minutes and then do the same on the other foot. You may want to try this while you’re brushing your teeth.
- Hip leg lifts – Start with your feet hip distance apart. Shifting your weight to your left foot, flex your right foot and keep your right leg straight as you lift it to the side, no more than 15 cm off the ground. Lower that leg to the floor and do the same with the other leg. Do two sets of 10-12 for each leg.
4. Bone-Strengthening Flexibility exercises
Stretching is increasingly vital as we age because it helps to maintain our flexibility.
- And you can stretch by doing anything from: shoulder rolls, hamstring and shoulder stretches, lunges, neck stretches etc. Be sure to do these slowly and correctly.
5. Cardio exercises
These can be done by simply:
- Climbing stairs!
- Walking on a treadmill (if you have one) or taking a walk around the block (as good, if not better).
- Or dancing around the kitchen (or any other room in your home). This is not only physically good for you, but it’s a great mood lifter.
The main idea is to get moving. Choose a few of the above exercises, set a 10-minute timer and get it done. If, like me, you know you’ll find an excuse, do it in your pyjamas as soon as you get up in the morning. Then it’s done for the day. And you would have started your day off well.
Have you got any good tips that motivate you to exercise? I’d love to hear them!
Disclaimer: Please consult with your doctor before doing any exercise routine. In addition, be sure that you know exactly how to do each exercise correctly so that you don’t injure yourself.
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