Did you know that your bone health is extremely important? Bones play vital roles in the body. They anchor muscles, protect organs, store calcium and provide body structure. While it’s important to build healthy and strong bones during adolescence and childhood stages, you can protect your bones during adulthood by observing simple lifestyle and nutrition habits. So, it’s never too late to protect your bones from common bone diseases, such as Osteoporosis, which causes the bones to become weak and brittle. The following simple habits can help improve the health of your bones.
Consume Foods Rich in Vitamin D and Calcium
Calcium is the most critical mineral found in bones that enhances the bone structure and strength. Therefore, it is very important to consume calcium on a daily basis because the broken old bone cells are constantly being replaced by new ones. Therefore, there is need for constant supply of calcium to the bones.
On the other hand, Vitamin D helps in the absorption of Calcium into the body, among other roles. Vitamin D sources include liver, milk with vitamin D, saltwater fish, and egg yolks while low-fat dairy products, soy milk, some green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach and collard greens, Yogurt, Canned Salmon, Beans, Almonds, Whey Protein, and tofu provide good sources of calcium.
Physical Exercise
Get plenty of physical exercise. Just like muscles, the more you exercise, the stronger your bones become. However, not all kind of exercises are fit for bone health. Focus on weight-bearing and strength-building exercises, such as dancing, climbing stairs, lifting weights and walking. 30-minute exercise on a daily basis is a good start to build and maintain strong bones. Such exercises help protect bones in adulthood and increase bone formation in childhood and adolescence.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
A healthy body weight helps in maintaining a healthy bone structure. If you are underweight, you risk contracting osteoporosis and osteopenia diseases. In fact, it is this low body weight that contributes to bone loss and reduced bone density. On the other hand, being overweight can increase the risk of fractures and can impair the quality of your bones.
The Bottom Line
Most people often take bone health for granted because the side effects don’t always show up until bone loss is advanced. However, with the wide variety of lifestyle and nutrition habits available for you to practice, you can build and maintain healthy and strong bones. Remember, it is never too late to start.
