Weekly tip – Jumping to build bones

While weight-bearing exercises like walking and running are good for the bones, researchers have found that it's even better to jump. A study compared the hip-bone density of marathon runners to that of gymnasts – who hit the ground in jumps all the time – and found that the gymnasts had 30% more bone than the runners.

Take action:
It’s simple: build stronger bones by jumping more! Make a point of doing high-impact exercises, which include 20 minutes of jump or step training, three times a week. You can join a step class at the gym or simply jump with a rope at home. Just get a proper health check-up before you start exercising and take things slowly at first. For example, start off by doing just 2 minutes of jumping every morning for a week and work your way up to 20 minutes.

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