Not all wellness remedies involve complicated treatment plans, in fact just getting outside for a fast walk could have a great impact on our wellbeing and bone health. Many of us may feel we don’t have time to commit to gym memberships or activity groups, but we can probably all manage to include some walking in our daily lives.
Why walk
Our bone mass changes throughout our lives, growing more dense in our teens and into our 20s, until it evens out then stops accumulating. We can boost this natural process as much as possible at this time so we’ve got a good store of bone cells to rely on when it begins to decline in our 30s. Even if we’ve reached this point in our life, then we can still try and preserve what we have so we can reduce our chance of getting osteoporosis, which is when our bones become so porous they may break with slight force. Healthy meals can help us to care for our bone tissue, so cells can use calcium and Vitamin D to build strong fibres, but exercise is also important.
Challenging our bones
Doing regular activities where our bones take the weight of our bodies (like jogging or walking) as well as weight lifting exercises doesn’t weaken our bones. In fact, bone tissue becomes stronger because of the challenges and resistance it faces when we exercise in this way. Fast walking is a convenient, affordable way to challenge our bones. Experts in the activity say we should make sure we walk with a straight back so our spine and leg bones carry our weight properly. Lifting our legs so we don’t drag our feet, as well as walking up steps and hills can also promote our bone mass. We can include this activity more in our lives by leaving the car at home sometimes and walking to destinations or getting off public transport a few steps early.
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