Follow These 7 Steps For Better Bone Health
You have 206 bones in your body, and each one of them needs your help in order to be strong and healthy into old age.
As we age, some parts of our body seem to all but take care of themselves, while others get worse even when we're trying to take care of them. It's tempting to think of your bones as one aspect of your body that you can put out of mind for a while. Unfortunately, you can't do this.
You have 206 bones in your body, and each one of them needs your help in order to be strong and healthy for years to come.
Fortunately, it doesn't take 206 separate solutions to maintain good skeletal wellbeing. In fact, by boning up on the seven simple principles at the bottom of this article, you may find yourself on the road to better bone health in no time!
But first, let's talk about why your skeleton needs plenty of TLC.
Your Bones, Yourself
The bones in your body play a part in practically every activity of your day. Whether you're walking, sitting, standing, eating, sleeping, reading, writing, or sleeping, your skeleton is supporting you every step of the way.
Think of your bones as your body's rebar (the metal rods that keep concrete foundations strong). Your bones absorb the impact of the steps you take when walking, as well as protect your vital organs. Your ribs encase and ensure the safety of your heart, lungs, liver, stomach, and other abdominal organs. Meanwhile, your skull keeps your brain out of harm's way.
And that's not all. Bones support your muscles. They keep you upright. Your skeleton's marrow even makes red blood cells. No wonder you need to watch your bone health as you age!
Poorly managed skeletal well-being can lead to problems, and fast. Without good nutrition, an active lifestyle, and dietary supplementation of nutrients specific to bone health, your bones can quickly become thinner, frailer, and more breakable.
So start taking steps toward better bone health management today!
7 Steps For Naturally Maintaining Good Skeletal Health
1. Get out and about. More than anything else, your bones need activity. It doesn't have to be much: For instance, you can get outdoors and walk for an hour a few times a week. Or you might try lifting small weights for 30 minutes occasionally. Even simply getting up out of your chair every hour or so can help your bones stay strong. Without regular exercise, you skeleton can become more brittle. The same is true if you don't...
2. Consume plenty of bone health supplements that contain calcium and vitamin D. Every major public health organization will tell you the same thing: Without these two nutrients, your skeletal well-being is in jeopardy. The problem, of course, is that there aren't a lot of foods that naturally contain calcium and vitamin D. Dairy delivers calcium, but too much dairy can be bad for your cholesterol. Leafy greens and fish contain vitamin D, but not in huge amounts. To get your daily dose of nutrients, supplementation is key to ensuring you're giving your body what it needs to keep working hard for you!
3. Don't smoke. By using tobacco, you're encouraging your bone-building cells to slow down. This can lead to serious problems, particularly for people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.
4. Watch your alcohol intake. An occasional glass of red wine is okay (it contains resveratrol, after all!), but in general, drinking too much can be bad for your heart, blood vessels, and bones.
5. Get a little sun. Really! It might sound counterintuitive since too much sun is linked with skin health problems, but a little exposure to UV light—say, 10 to 30 minutes a day—helps your body produce its own vitamin D supply.
6. Stick to bone-healthy foods. Plenty of ingredients have benefits for your skeletal well-being, even though they may not always be self-evident. Try eating more salmon, tuna, nuts, beans, leafy greens, low-fat dairy, oysters, kale, and broccoli.
7. Look for olive leaf-based products. Studies have shown that the extract from this leaf can help your bone's mineral-building and -absorbing cells balance their activities. This can keep your skeleton in the kind of equilibrium that leads to optimal bone health.