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Postmenopause Bones
Exercise and bone health after 45
Bone responds to load, not to duration. A brisk walk is excellent for your heart, but it does not deform bone enough to trigger remodelling. Resistance work and impact do.
DOCTOR'S NOTE
Two sessions a week, six to eight exercises, two to three sets each — done consistently for a year — is the dose that shows up in a scan.
A starting programme
- Squat or leg press — legs and hips
- Hip hinge or deadlift variation — spine and hips
- Row and press — upper back and shoulders
- Step-ups and calf raises — balance and lower leg
- Optional: 20–30 low hops if your joints allow
Progress by adding weight, not repetitions. If you have an existing vertebral fracture or a T-score below −2.5, avoid loaded spinal flexion and get a physiotherapist to set your first six weeks.