5 Hip Exercises To Strengthen Bones & Improve Balance (Osteoporosis-Friendly)

Today’s video choice was inspired by: your writer here just got back from the radiology clinic where she had her hips and spine scanned for bone density (I get the results in a week; wish me luck!).

This is an important topic, because…

• Bad news: hip fractures are common in adults over 50 and can lead to long recovery and loss of independence (or indeed, loss of life; too many people go into hospital with a broken hip, get an infection in hospital, and don’t come home)
• Good news: consistent, targeted exercises can strengthen bones and joints to reduce fracture risk and maintain an active, confident lifestyle (and indeed, one conducive to healthy longevity)

Dr. Alyssa Kuhn explains:

Use it or lose it

Dr. Kuhn recommends the following exercises:

1. Side stomp: this gentle impact exercise involves stepping to the side and stomping to stimulate bone strengthening, with adjustable intensity and optional upper body support, aiming for 10–15 stomps per side.
2. Weighted squat: you can strengthen your leg muscles and bones by doing controlled squats with or without weights (held at shoulder level), keeping an upright posture, avoiding forward bending, and placing weights on a raised surface to prevent unsafe lifting; aim for 10–12 reps, 2–3 sets.
3. Heel drops: raise up onto your toes and let your heels drop to create vertical impact for bone strength, starting gently and increasing intensity gradually on soft surfaces or barefoot if comfortable, with a goal of 10–20 reps, 2–3 sets.
4. Tandem walking: walk heel-to-toe in a straight line to challenge balance and lower fall risk, using a wall or counter for support and adjusting foot spacing if needed, aiming for 1–2 minutes per round, 2–3 rounds, focusing on control over speed.
5. Hop (jumping): begin with supported hops to test readiness, then progress to controlled free jumps that keep knees aligned and hips engaged on landing to safely build hip bone strength, starting with 10–20 reps, 2–3 sets, and increasing gradually.

Find a way to build them (or at least: one or more of them) into your daily routine. A good example, since these are quite “casual” exercises and not the kind for which one necessarily gets changed and/or goes to the gym, is to do some of these while waiting for water to boil, or for the microwave, or things like that.

For more on each of these plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

21% Stronger Bones in a Year at 62? Yes, It’s Possible (No Calcium Supplements Needed!)

Take care!