How to keep your bones strong

Think you should slow down as you get older? Think again! Weight-bearing and muscle strengthening exercises are important for building bone strength and preventing osteoporosis, however, new research shows that even just getting your 10,000 steps a day can be important for keeping your bones strong. Sitting is bad for your bones The study, led by our Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, also found that the more time people in their sixties spent sitting down, the lower their bone strength was. The research also found that men spent more time sitting still than women and those who were the most sedentary, had the lowest bone strength, particularly in their lower back. This is the first study to show that a sedentary lifestyle in men is associated with a greater risk for osteoporosis. Economic and personal cost Fragility fractures are a symptom of osteoporosis, a skeletal disease which is more common in older people. The economic and personal costs of this disease are substantial - in the UK the direct costs of fragility fractures are estimated to be £.4.4 billion which includes £1.1 billion for social care. Over half a million fragility fractures - where a fracture occurs from a fall at standing height or less - happen each year in the United Kingdom.