With it being Labor Day, it makes sense to talk about how manual labor promotes bone health. It might be hard to believe, but exercise doesn’t just build big muscles. It also delivers strong bones. Research shows that athletes have significantly more bone density than the average person.

However, not just any old workout will help build strong bones. For the best bone-density building exercises, follow the “LIVE” approach:

L – Load-bearing. Weight-bearing exercises that require your muscles to work against gravity by moving your own weight (or added weight) up and down have the most bone-building benefits.

I – Intensity. The more weight you move and the more vigorously you move it, the more exercise will strengthen your bones.

V – Variety. Exercises that involve as many different muscles in different functional movement patterns are best.

E – Enjoyable. Making a workout enjoyable, makes it much more likely to keep you coming back – leading to better results.

Weight-bearing exercises help prevent and lessen the effects of osteoporosis and osteopenia. These exercises include: jogging, walking, football and tennis. Resistance exercises improve your muscle mass while fortifying and strengthening your bones. Weight lifting is an example of a resistance exercise. OAZ wants you to know both exercises are vital not only for your bone density, but for your heart, lungs, and blood circulation in general.

Tags: Bone and Joint Health, Bone health, Columbus Ohio Sports Medicine, OAZ, Ohio Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Associates of Zanesville