Should Women Over 40 Be Jumping?
Well…maybe. Here’s what’s best for your bones.
A friend’s husband recently broke his leg on a guy’s trip—one enthusiastic air-guitar move to the classic Van Halen song “Jump” … and pow! 💥
Funny story…
Until you remember that fracture risk becomes increasingly important for us midlife women, too. 😰
As we move through midlife—and especially through the menopause transition—declining estrogen can accelerate bone loss.
Osteoporosis isn’t just an “old age problem”.
The time to protect your bones is NOW.
And yes, one of the tools for building stronger bones may actually include…jumping. 😬
When appropriate for your body and introduced safely, impact exercise can provide a valuable bone-building stimulus.
But you don’t have to start with box jumps or high-impact workouts.
Read on to learn simple, low-impact ways to start challenging your bones today!
JUST ONE THING
Putting your bones through some impact is extremely beneficial.
But this doesn’t mean you 🎶 Go ahead and JUMP 🎶 right into it with big powerful moves.
Your JUST ONE THING to Build Bone Density
Ease Into Impact Exercises
While impact exercises are great for your bones,
you need to remember that your muscles, tendons and ligaments are also involved with every jump.
If you don’t build up your jumping moves gradually with care and attention on strengthening these soft tissues at the same time,
you could end up with tendinitis, sprained ligaments or even muscle tears. 😥
To help you ease your body into beneficial impact movements, I have a great video for you to build a solid base.
Try this one today!
Gentle Impact Exercises to Build Bone Density
- In-N-Out Squat (20 secs): This exercise provides a "perfect amount of impact to start with" and is easier on your tendons and ligaments. Begin with your feet together, quickly drop out and sink down into a squat, and then pop right back up.
- Lateral Skater Hops (20 secs): This exercise applies impact and force sideways, which is important for your bones. Make sure to always sticking that landing with each leap.
- Skipping (20 secs): This low-level impact exercise helps train your coordination and even brings child-like joy!
Extra Tip: Before starting any jumping or hopping moves, spend 4-6 weeks with basic strength training exercises first to significantly reduce your risk of injury.
Did You Know...
- Landing technique matters!! Land softly with your hips, knees, and ankles working together, and aim to keep your knees tracking in line with your feet rather than collapsing inward.Watch this video for instructions.
- Leaking during jumps is common—but don’t just push through it 💦. Start with lower-impact variations and pelvic-floor training. If leaking persists, a pelvic-floor physical therapist can help identify what’s actually going on.
- Do your jumps while you’re feeling fresh. After a dynamic warm-up—but before fatiguing strength work—is a great time for power and impact exercises. Quality landings matter more than quantity.
Until next week... Be strong💪
