Many people, when they know they have osteoporosis, often think that they should limit their physical activity. However, people with osteoporosis should still exercise, a sedentary lifestyle will increase bone loss. Meanwhile, regular exercise can slow down bone loss.

Most fractures occur due to falls. Therefore, exercise, including walking, can help increase muscle strength and improve balance. Thereby, helping patients reduce the risk of falls. At the same time, exercise can also reduce the risk of fractures due to osteoporosis by slowing down the rate of bone loss.

Maintaining a daily walking habit will slow down bone damage and slow down the process of osteoporosis.

In addition, people with osteoporosis, maintaining a daily walking habit will help increase flexibility and muscle strength every day thanks to exercising at the right intensity.

In fact, gentle exercise by walking every day will help reduce joint pain, help joints move more flexibly, and limit joint stiffness. Another great benefit of walking is that it supports weight loss, so people with osteoporosis should walk regularly. When body weight is reduced, the pressure on the skeletal system when having to support the body will also decrease, limiting complications of bone fractures.

What should people with osteoporosis pay attention to when walking?

Walking is a sport that is good for people with osteoporosis, however, people with osteoporosis need to pay attention to:

There should be a suitable exercise plan, ensuring safety for health, patients need to follow the principles of time and intensity of exercise.

Regarding exercise time, early morning and evening after eating about 30 minutes are the most suitable times for walking.

In the morning, patients walking outdoors will have the opportunity to breathe fresh air. This not only brings physical benefits but also helps improve the spirit. Early morning time will also limit fatigue and overexertion due to hot weather.

In the evening, after dinner, patients can also relax with a 10-20 minute walk. This will be a way to help regulate the body, reduce pain for a better, deeper sleep. In addition, gentle exercise before going to bed also helps limit stiffness the next morning.

Regarding exercise intensity, people with osteoporosis should increase the level from low to high to gradually increase the flexibility and endurance of the musculoskeletal system. When starting out, walking lightly for 15-30 minutes a day is appropriate. Later, depending on the actual condition of the body, gradually increase the walking time accordingly.

To ensure effectiveness and support the improvement of osteoporosis, it is necessary to have a method of implementation that is suitable for your health. The walking methods that people with osteoporosis can choose are as follows:

Light, relaxing walking: This is a way of walking that maintains a moderate speed, not too fast and not too slow. When walking, combine breathing, inhale deeply and exhale evenly. At the same time, to increase movement in the skeletal system of the whole body, the practitioner can combine arm swings, raise arms high or sideways while moving.
When applying this walking method, people with osteoporosis should practice on flat terrain. Patients can walk in the early morning or late afternoon. The practice time should be from 15 to 30 minutes.

Brisk walking: When getting used to the pace and intensity of walking, the patient can increase the exercise speed, from light walking to fast walking. However, applying fast walking will be done intermittently. While walking lightly, the practitioner will change the speed 3 - 5 times. The time for each acceleration is about 1 - 2 minutes.