Don’t make the mistake of skipping strength training and working only on your cardiovascular system. For sustained energy levels throughout the day you need muscle power. 

Strength training won’t make your muscles look bulky and unattractive if done correctly – Marilyn Monroe used to lift weights. Clever strength exercises – lifting weights, yoga, or light dumbbell work on your own at home – can reap great streamlining, energy-boosting rewards. If none of these appeal to you, find ways in your daily life to use your muscles more. Carry your shopping bags, lift your kids or do some squats, sit-ups and press-ups as you watch television.

 

Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and slowly start to sit down. Once your bottom is nearly in line with your knees, simply push up into a standing position, squeezing your bottom as you go. Do three sets of 10 repetitions; more if you feel able. Rest for a minute between sets.

 

Press-ups: Go down on your hands and knees, and gently bend your elbows and straighten them again, keeping your back as straight as you can. If you have the muscle strength, assume the proper press-up position with your legs stretched out behind balancing on the balls of your feet and your body parallel to the floor. Do three sets of 10 repetitions; more if you feel able. Rest for a minute between sets.

 

Sit-ups: Lie flat on the floor on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands lightly behind your head. Using your abdominals, lift your shoulders a few inches off the floor, pause briefly and return to your starting position. Complete three sets of ten repetitions; more if you feel up to it. Rest for a minute between sets.

According to research from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland and published in Breast Cancer Research journal, women who regularly carry out vigorous exercise in their 60s are up to 30 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer, than those who exercise gently. The findings add to the weight of evidence about the power of exercise to reduce the risk of breast cancer, which kills more than 1,000 women in the UK every month.

The American researchers made the connection after tracking the health of more than 32,000 women, average age 61, for eleven years. At the start of the study the women were asked how much gentle and strenuous exercise they did. Gentle exercise included light housework as well as walking, golf and cycling. Examples of vigorous exercise included heavy housework, such as cleaning floors, digging the garden and chopping wood as well as running, tennis and dancing. Eleven years later 1,506 of the women had developed cancer. Analysis showed that vigorous but not gentle exercise was more likely to cut the risk in women who were not overweight.

 

Although the Maryland study suggested that vigorous exercise is more beneficial for reducing risk, other studies have shown that gentler exercise is better than no exercise at all and can help ward off breast cancer. A six year study of more than 20,000 European women recently concluded that hovering, dusting and other light domestic chores cut the risk by up to 30 per cent.

 

There is still much debate about the best form of exercise and how much women over 60 should do to reduce their breast cancer risk but we do know that regular exercise is highly recommended because it can help prevent weight gain and obesity which are known to increase breast cancer risk.

Osteoporosis causes the bones to become weak and brittle and a woman’s risk increases with age, especially after the menopause.  The good news is that a well-designed exercise programme, alongside a healthy diet rich in bone building nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium, can minimise the effects or reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis when you get older.  

Exercise is a vital component in reducing your risk of osteoporosis. Research has shown that regular exercise can decrease bone loss, increase bone density, and reduce the risk of fractures because bone is living tissue that responds to exercise by becoming stronger. You know that your muscles get bigger and stronger when you use them. Bones are similar; they get stronger and denser when you make them work. And ‘work’ for bones, means impact, the weight of your body, or more resistance.   By learning the basic principles of the following safe, effective exercises to prevent osteoporosis you can begin your lifelong journey to good health. Not only will it help reduce your risk of osteoporosis, but it will improve your overall fitness and quality of life.

Both weight-bearing and resistance exercises can help to increase bone density. Weight-bearing exercises refer to activities where the weight of the body is transmitted through the bones, working against gravity. Your bones respond to this force by growing stronger. Walking, jogging, dancing, hiking, stair climbing and other aerobic exercises are all examples of weight-bearing exercises. Bike riding and swimming are not weight-bearing. Weight-bearing exercises should be performed at least three to five times per week. The goal is to work up to 45 minutes or more per session but just 30 minutes of weight-bearing exercise daily benefits not only your bones, but improves heart health, muscle strength, coordination and balance. Those 30 minutes don’t need to be done all at once; it’s just as good for you to do 10 minutes at a time.

 

Walking is an excellent weight-bearing exercise. Studies have shown that women who walked briskly achieve gains in bone density. To maximise the benefit of your walk try the following:

 

– Warm up by walking at a slow-to-normal pace for five minutes.

– Increase speed gradually until walking briskly.

– Always make sure comfortable talking is possible while walking.

– Try to keep walking at a level that can be maintained for at least 20 minutes.

– Work up to a 45-minute walk.

– Cool down with a five-minute slow walk.

– Perform gentle stretches before and after walking.

 

Resistance exercises generate muscle tension on the bones which in turn strengthens the muscles and stimulates the bones to grow stronger. Exercising with weights or resistance bands are examples of this type of exercise. Resistance exercises should be performed two to three times a week but before you begin exercising with weights, it is important to perform the exercise without weights to make sure you can do it using proper mechanics and without pain.

 

Studies have shown that post-menopausal bone density benefits most from low-repetition, high-weight training programmes rather than high-repetition, low-weight programme. Individuals with osteoporosis and those at risk should therefore perform no more than one set of eight to ten repetitions of an exercise. Optimally, they should strive to achieve three sets of an exercise with a one- to two-minute rest interval between sets. Once ten repetitions can be performed easily, the weight and not the number or repetitions should be gradually increased in order to continue to build bone density.

 

Other types of exercises that are important for osteoporosis prevention and treatment include postural, stretching and balance exercises. Postural exercises decrease harmful stress on the bones, especially the spine. By performing these exercises, you can reduce your risk of spinal fractures and the rounded shoulders commonly seen with osteoporosis.  Stretching the muscles of the chest and strengthening the back muscles help promote good posture. One example is a shoulder stretch. In this exercise, you pull your shoulder blades together while visualising your spine stretching up and lengthening. Balance exercises help maintain equilibrium and can reduce the risk of falling. Yoga positions are excellent for balance, stretching and yoga.

 

If you already have osteoporosis, you might wonder whether you should exercise at all. My answer for most women is YES, but do make sure you speak to your doctor to learn what types of exercises you can safely do to preserve bone and to strengthen your back and hips.

 

Exercise Tips:

• Even if you do not have osteoporosis, you should check with your health care provider before you start an exercise programme.
• Remember to warm up before starting and cool down at the end of each exercise session.
• For the best benefit to your bone health, combine several different weight-bearing exercises. As you build strength, increase resistance, or weights, rather than repetitions.
• Remember to drink plenty of water whenever exercising.
• Vary the types of aerobic exercise that you do each week.
• Combine weight bearing and resistance exercise with aerobic exercises to help improve your overall health.
• Exercise with a friend to help you keep going and to provide motivation for both of you.
• Add more physical activity to your day; take the stairs instead of the lift,  park further way from where you are going and if you work in a office walk to see your colleague rather than emailing.
• Vary your routine and make exercise fun so you are more likely to stay interested and continue.