jump__1542635251_1036819993-lower

Jump 20 Times A Day To Strengthen Your Bones

#JumpForHealth – For every 10,000 jumps, we will donate a prosthetic leg to someone in need.

The claim: Jumping 10 times twice a day provides greater bone-building benefits than running or jogging, reports a study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

Jump 10 times twice a day for healthier bones

The research: Sixty premenopausal women, ages 25 to 50, significantly increased their hip bone mineral density after four months by .5% by jumping 10 times a day, twice a day and taking short breaks (30 seconds) between each jump. Doesn’t sound like a lot of gain? Consider this: the controls lost about 1.3% of their bone density over the same period. “Women jumped as high as they could from the floor,” says lead study researcher Larry Tucker, PhD. No box, shoes, or pads were used.

What it means: Although bone density increases most rapidly during adolescence, the process slows with age. Peak bone mass happens around age 25 and then declines. Five to seven years after menopause women may lose up to 20% or more bone density. To make matters worse, as we age we’re less likely to perform high-impact, bone-building activities. This new study shows a way to keep bones strong throughout our life. “Our study showed significant benefits over time” says Dr. Tucker. “Women have to do the jumps daily to get the benefits. In addition, keep in mind, as women age it’s more and more difficult to improve bone density.”

Note: The study did not include women with osteoporosis; hopping may not be recommended in these cases.

The bottom line: You should be jumping 10 times a day, twice a day – even if you go for a daily jog. “Running and jogging have less impact on bone density because of the repeated bone stress,” says Dr. Tucker. If you’ve been more sedentary than active most of your life, you may still be able to regain bone strength. “However, the earlier in life a woman stresses her bones, the more benefits she will likely see,”

This World Health Day (7th April, 2017), we invite you to,

  • Record a simple video of yourself jumping at least 10 times.
  • Upload it on your Facebook/Twitter/Instagram handles using #JumpForHealth
  • Tag Aditya Birla Health and nominate 3 of your friends to do the same and you’re done!

Join us in #JumpForHealth and help us reach our target of donating 100 prosthetic legs.

Original medical article posted on https://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/jumping-increases-bone-density-more-running.