As the days grow colder, shorter, and altogether more miserable, it can be tempting to just stay indoors and curl up on the sofa, rather than to go out and exercise.

But this reduced physical activity can take a toll on our bone health, especially given the limited exposure to sunlight we get in winter and the higher risk of slips and falls on icy surfaces.

“Bone responds to the demand that we place upon it. Therefore, if you reduce the demand because the weather is cold and wet, expect to lose some of that protective strength,” Uzo Ehiogu said, who is a physiotherapist at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham and a spokesperson for the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists.

Fortunately, taking intentional and proactive steps to protect and strengthen our skeleton can have a significant impact.

Try to get out in the daylight when you can, but if it’s dark and slippery, you can always increase your step count indoors (PA)

“Bone is living, changing, adapting tissue, so we can…