Walking Is Healthy-But Is It Enough For Your Bones?

Walking is one of the best habits we can encourage.

It supports cardiovascular health, mobility, mood and general fitness. However, when it comes to maintaining strong bones and muscles as we age, walking may not be enough on its own.

Bones Respond to Challenge

Most people know that lifting weights strengthens muscles. What is less widely understood is that the right kind of exercise also stimulates bone.

When muscles contract against resistance, they pull on the bones. Weight-bearing and impact activities also place controlled forces through the skeleton.

These forces provide a signal to the body that strong bones are still required.

Without sufficient loading, that signal becomes weaker. This is one reason prolonged inactivity, bed rest and a sedentary lifestyle contribute to the loss of both muscle and bone.

What Type of Exercise Is Best?

The most complete exercise approach for bone health combines:

• Progressive resistance training

• Appropriate weight-bearing or impact activity

• Balance training

• Postural and functional exercises

Australian osteoporosis guidelines recommend progressive resistance training, appropriate weight-bearing impact exercise and challenging balance work to support bone strength and reduce fracture risk.

What Does Progressive Resistance Mean?

Resistance training means making the muscles work against resistance. That resistance may come from:

• Dumbbells or barbells

• Weight machines

• Cable machines

• Resistance bands

• Body weight

• Weighted carries

“Progressive” means that the training gradually becomes more challenging as you become stronger.

This progression might involve:

• Increasing the weight

• Performing a more challenging exercise

• Improving your range of movement

• Adding repetitions

• Improving control and technique

Doing exactly the same light exercises for years may help maintain movement, but it may not provide enough stimulus to substantially improve strength or bone health.

Useful Bone-Strengthening Exercises

Depending on the individual, an effective program may include:

• Squats or sit-to-stands

• Step-ups

• Lunges or split squats

• Deadlift or hip-hinge variations

• Calf raises

• Rows

• Chest presses

• Overhead presses

• Back and postural exercises

• Loaded carries

There is no single perfect exercise.

The right exercise is one that safely challenges the individual and can be gradually progressed.

Strength Training Also Helps Prevent Falls

Fractures do not occur simply because bones are fragile. Many happen because someone falls.

Stronger legs, hips and trunk can help you:

• Rise from a chair more easily

• Climb stairs confidently

• Walk with greater stability

• Recover from a stumble

• Carry shopping and complete daily tasks

• Maintain better posture

• Remain independent

This is why a good bone-health program should include balance as well as strength.

Balance Training Needs to Be Challenging

Simply standing comfortably on two feet is not enough to improve balance.

Depending on your current ability, balance training could involve:

• Standing with your feet closer together

• Heel-to-toe standing

• Single-leg balance

• Controlled stepping in different directions

• Stepping over small obstacles

• Changing direction while walking

• Reaching while maintaining stability

These exercises should be challenging enough to create improvement but safe enough to avoid unnecessary falls.

What If You Already Have Osteoporosis?

People with osteoporosis should generally remain active and continue strength training, but some exercises may need to be modified.

Repeated or heavily loaded forward bending, forceful twisting and uncontrolled high-impact activity may be unsuitable for some people—particularly those with spinal osteoporosis or previous vertebral fractures. Exercise should be gradually progressed and individually prescribed for higher-risk clients.

This does not mean people with osteoporosis should only perform very gentle exercise.

Being overly cautious can result in further weakness, poorer balance and reduced confidence. The answer is appropriate challenge and supervision—not avoiding exercise altogether.

How Often Should You Train?

As a general goal, adults should include structured strength training at least two or three times each week, alongside regular physical activity and balance work.

The quality and progression of the program matter more than simply completing a certain number of sessions.

This Week’s Action

Review your current exercise program and ask yourself:

• Am I strength training at least twice per week?

• Is my program gradually becoming more challenging?

• Am I training my legs, hips, back and upper body?

• Do I practise balance?

• Is my program appropriate for my health and fracture risk?

  
  

At DirksHealth, our goal is not simply to make people tired or burn calories.

We want to build the strength, balance and physical capacity that allow our clients to remain active, capable and independent for decades to come.

Next week, we will look at calcium, vitamin D, protein and the other lifestyle habits that support stronger bones.

Kind regards,

Dirk Hansen

DirksHealth