Have you been told you have osteopenia or osteoporosis? If so, you’re probably looking for ways to build bone strength to prevent fractures and falls. Bone strengthening activities also improve your quality of life by building muscle and stamina so you have the strength and energy for everyday activities.

There are a lot of ways to strengthen your bones even if you don’t go to the gym. Bone strengthening activities you can do at home are easier than you think!

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What’s the difference between osteopenia and osteoporosis?

Osteopenia and osteoporosis are both medical diagnoses that are common for women in perimenopause and beyond. But they don’t mean exactly the same thing.

Osteopenia is a warning diagnosis. It indicates that you have low bone mass and your bone health isn’t as good as it used to be. If you’ve received an osteoporosis diagnosis, it’s time to take action.

Osteoporosis is a medical diagnosis of degenerated (broken down) bone. Osteoporosis is a common condition in women over 40, because as we age and hormone levels lower, our bones become more brittle.

Why are osteopenia and osteoporosis bad?

Because bones are living tissue, they react to the forces (like gravity) placed on them. When your bones are healthy, these forces make the bones resilient and pliable. Healthy bones can absorb the shock of daily living without breaking.

Bones with osteopenia and osteoporosis have lots their springiness. Instead of flexing under stress, the bones snap.

The National Office on Women’s Health reports that broken bones from osteoporosis lead to serious health problems and disability in ageing women.

As you can see, healthy bones look spongier and more complete. Bones with osteoporosis have fewer connections and are more brittle.

Can Osteoporosis be reversed?

Women often wonder if osteoporosis can be reversed. While the technical answer is YES, it takes a lot of work, some pharmaceutical drugs, and time. And even so, your bone health never reaches the same peak as it was earlier in your life.

So the best thing you can do for yourself is to prevent osteoporosis. The best way to prevent osteoporosis is to participate regularly in a variety of bone strengthening activities. In many ways, exercise is even better than drugs for treating osteoporosis.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that one in two women over 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis. With odds like those, women should do what they can NOW to prevent osteoporosis. Luckily, there are bone strengthening activities you can do at home.

What counts as a bone strengthening activity?

Any weight bearing movement has the potential to strengthen your bones. This means that any time you are moving weight—even just your body—against gravity, you are challenging your bones to respond. So anything from walking or running to calisthenics to weight training are all bone strengthening activities.

Exercises that are NOT good for building bone strength

Swimming, while a fantastic whole-body exercise that can improve your cardiovascular fitness and build your muscles, is not a bone strengthening activity. The buoyancy of the water relieves the bones of the force gravity necessary for strengthening.

Similarly, cycling does not build bone strength either. The bicycle is a machine that does not require the bones to be put under pressure in order to make it work. While you’ll build muscle and strengthen your heart if you cycle, it is not a good choice for improving bone strength.

Level I Bone Strengthening Exercises

Depending on your physical fitness level, you may start with simply walking for exercise. Even if it’s just walking around your house, adding more steps to your day increases the responsiveness of your bones.

As you gain strength, the health benefits of hiking include building your balance and requiring greater muscle control.

Calisthenics are another great option for bone strengthening activities you can do at home. Because these exercises involve a little bit of jumping, they put the bones under pressure.

Low-Impact Short Circuit for Bone Strengthening

Try a short circuit workout of the following five low-impact exercises, done for 45 seconds each with a 15 second rest in between each exercise. Even though these are all low impact exercises you are still building bone strength.

Side-to-side Step

High Knee March

Speed Skater

Boxer

Half Jacks

Level II Bone Strengthening Activities

If you are of average physical fitness and have no known injuries, weight workouts—sometimes called strength training or resistance training—are ideal for bone strengthening.

Don’t let the idea of a weight workout scare you. Weight training for beginners….

No gym membership?

No problem! With simple resistance bands or dumbbells, you can do these bone strengthening exercises at home. You can even start with body weight until you are confident of your form, then add weight slowly. Choosing both a low and medium weight or resistance will offer you challenge and flexibility depending on the exercise.

Here are my three favorite strength training exercises for building bone strength

Squats

Stand with your feet hip width apart, toes slightly turned out. Bend your knees and take the glutes back like you’re sitting in a chair, keeping the knees over the ankles. Push into the heels and squeeze the glutes to return to standing.

Shoulder Press

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and arms in goalpost position holding dumbbells. Push your hands upward by extending the elbow joint, keeping your shoulders low. Bend elbows to return your arms to the goalpost start position.

Deadlift

Stand with your feet just narrower than hip-width apart. Hold dumbbells at front of thighs with palms facing thighs. Hinge from the hips to lower weights to the tops of your feet. Squeeze the glutes to return to standing in one quick move, keeping the knees soft but straight.

Level III Bone Strengthening Activities

Ready to kick it up a notch? When you’ve mastered the low-impact calisthenics from Level I and built strength with the exercises in Level II, you’re likely ready for some plyometric exercises.

Plyometrics involve jumping, which demands a great deal of response from your bones. While the jumping is fantastic for building bone strength, it is not appropriate for women with pelvic prolapse or stress incontinence (bladder leakage). Following a pelvic-friendly workout program like Fit2B or Mutu is a better option if you leak when you jump.

When you give this Level III bone strengthening circuit workout a try, remember that you are in control of how high you jump and how much impact you create. Build up slowly.

Jumping Jacks

Line Jump

Squat Jump

X-C Skiier

Burpees

You can also give this at-home plyometric circuit a try!

How Do I Protect Myself From Injury While Exercising?

The last thing you want to happen when you’re trying to build bone strength is to get hurt.

To prevent injury, make sure you are moving with proper form. If you’re unsure of a movement, don’t just look around the gym and copy someone else! And you can’t assume the random workout video you saw on You Tube or Pinterest is demonstrating correct form, either.

Protect yourself from injury by investing in a session or two with a Certified Personal Trainer. She can ensure that you are moving with proper form and getting all of the benefits from your bone strengthening workouts.

You also want to make sure you’re wearing the right shoes for whatever exercise you choose to do. Choosing good exercise shoes doesn’t have to be complicated. Take your time to read reviews, and be willing to invest in a pair of shoes that will give you the proper stability and support.

What else can I do to prevent osteoporosis?

In addition to these bone strengthening activities you can do at home, there are a few lifestyle changes you can make to improve your bone health.

Eating and drinking diary products and other foods that are rich in calcium can support your bone health. You also want to make sure that you are getting plenty of Vitamin D from a variety of sources. Vitamin D is important to women because of the role it plays in helping to get bone building calcium into the bone structure.

If you smoke, stop smoking! Multiple studies indicate that smoking is a major contributing factor to osteoporosis.

Doing what you can now to prevent osteoporosis later is well worth your time!

Karen Shopoff Rooff is a certified health coach. The Well Balanced Women blog is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Please discuss your health issues with a licensed medical practitioner.