Health and Fitness Information Center

The Ups and Downs of High Impact Exercise, Part 1

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As to why do it, research is now showing that engaging in some higher impact activities may help make a positive contribution to bone health. Past studies have established that paying attention to bone health should begin at an early age, while more current studies are showing evidence that an improvement in bone health can also occur later in life.

Bone density, osteopenia, and osteoporosis are terms we are hearing more frequently. Bones are porous yet sturdy. If porosity increases and bone mass decreases, this can weaken the bones. Osteopenia is the precursor to osteoporosis. If you think of these terms as if they were warnings for a ship at sea, osteopenia would be the indicator that a storm is coming in (some bone loss) and osteoporosis would mean that the storm is already here and you’re in it (high degree of bone loss).

Thanks to technology we can now measure bone density, so positive steps can be taken to avoid an alarming outcome such as a fracture. Women are at higher risk than men for bone loss and these groups can also be further sub-divided for risk. This is a simple explanation for bone health; there are many excellent resources for information in print and on the internet.

Exercising is one of the things you can do to help build and maintain healthy bones. Activities for bone health are generally described as weight bearing. Weight bearing exercises put stress on the skeletal structure and your bones react by supporting the stress. Walking and weight lifting fall into this category, but current studies are showing that some higher impact activity can make a more significant contribution to bone health. It makes sense if you think about it – when you lift weights your muscles react by becoming stronger and toned. If you jump up and down, your bones react similarly.