Walking Is Great — But It's Not Enough for Osteoporosis
One of the biggest questions I get from my students is “it walking is enough for staying strong”
I do love walking. I walk everyday and LOVE it. It's great for mental health. It's great for community. It's great to get outside and to have a regular routine but walking is not enough to keep your bones and muscles strong.
We need more than just walking to keep our bones and muscles strong.
It doesn't need to be crazy super complicated.
Most of my students do two of our strength and mobility classes a week, and that helps them not only build strength and mobility, but to feel GOOD while they are walking.
What Walking Does
Walking is definitely a weight-bearing exercise, which means your bones are supporting your body weight. It's better than swimming or cycling for bone health. It keeps your heart working, your joints moving, but it is not weight bearing enough to build strengt
What Walking Can't Do
Walking doesn't load your spine and hips with enough force to stimulate bone growth. It doesn't build the muscle you need to protect your joints. And it doesn't fix the stiffness and tightness that makes walking harder. If you are feeling tight, walking does not alleviate that. If you are feeling weak in the back or legs, walking will not help you build strength.
But the good news is that a few specific exercises can help.
Here is what I suggest:
A mobility warm-up before you walk
Five to ten minutes before you head out the door. Not stretching — mobility. Hip circles to open the hip joint. Thoracic rotations to free up your mid-back so your spine can actually rotate when you walk. A few standing hip hinges to wake up your glutes so they do their job instead of letting your back do all the work.
Try this quick hip mobility workout.
Ten minutes. It changes everything. Your stride opens up, your back stops complaining, and you move the way you're supposed to.
Two strength training sessions a week
Progressive strength training gives your bones the signal they need to get stronger.
Two sessions a week. Thirty minutes each. No gym required. Two sets of weights and a clear plan designed for your body.
Try this sample class- it is a super strength training class designed to build strength and mobility.
Walking is GREAT. Let’s keep walking but let’s add in a few simple workouts to supplment those miles.
Ready to get stronger? Start with my free 5-day strength program — designed specifically for women over 50.
Already know you're ready? Join The Elevate Practice — guided strength and mobility workouts for women over 50. $59/month, cancel anytime.
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