People with Osteoporosis Must Exercise Carefully

Question by Leslie T. (Murray, UT)
Posted on December 21, 2006

I am a 56 year old woman who has never exercised and I have recently been diagnosed with osteopenia. How is this different from osteoporosis and what kind of exercise can help someone with this issue?

Kristi's Answer

Kristi Tuck, BS, ACSM is a certified Health/Fitness Instructor through…Read Full Bio

Osteopenia is clinically defined as a bone mineral density of between 1.0 and 2.4 with a standard deviation below normal values. Osteoporosis is defined as having a bone mineral density of 2.5 or greater with a standard deviation below normal values.

While your doctor can address the issue what types of medication or estrogen therapy you may or may not be taking, a certified fitness professional can address the issue of exercise safety. Your program should be tailored to your individual health concerns and should contain total body exercise including aerobic training and specific bone-loading exercises.