Did you know that more than 54 million Americans have osteoporosis? It is a condition wherein an individual experiences bone thinning as they age.
Our bodies tend to replace old bones with new ones using bone mass. But, as we cross the thirties, bone remodeling continues, but it loses more bone mass. The decline increases with age and may result in osteoporosis.
Several factors affect bone health, such as the amount of physical activity, food, nutrition, hereditary issues, and more. However, you can prevent osteoporosis and bone weakening by putting in some conscious effort.
Read this article ahead to learn more about maintaining bone mass in your body.
What can you do to support your bone health?
There are two main ways to ensure that your bones stay healthy and strong even as you age.
- Food
- Physical activity
Let us read in detail how focussing on these two can benefit you.
Food to fuel your bone health
Your diet affects your overall health. Therefore, you need to take a balanced diet and ensure the presence of calcium, collagen, and vitamin D in your food. These are the things that help in keeping your bones strong.
- Evidence suggests that collagen promotes bone health. Therefore, many people prefer marine collagen peptides to complete their collagen intake. Collagen contains amino acids, proline, lysine, and more. These components help in building ligaments, muscles, and other tissues.
- Getting the right amount of calcium; more is not always better. Instead, focus on accomplishing the daily intake of calcium to ensure that your bones get enough strength to grow bone mass. For women aged 50 or less, the recommended limit is 1000mg a day. Likewise, women above 51 years of age should intake a minimum of 1200mg a day. You can consult your doctor to confirm the recommendation as per your current health.
- Besides calcium and collagen, you must also ensure proper protein, VitaminD, K, and other nutrients. You can get a bone density scan after your 50s to know the current status and mold your diet accordingly.
Physical Activity to Stimulate Bone-Building Cells
Did you know that besides fitness, exercise also helps in stimulating body cells that assist in building bone mass? However, you must focus on specific workout plans promoting bone health. In addition, working out helps increase coordination and balance and boost muscle strength.
- Healthcare experts and body trainers suggest weight-bearing exercises to boost bone health. You do these on your feet to let your muscles and bones work against gravity to keep you upright. As a result, the bones get firmer and healthier. The most common types include walking, running, jumping rope, racquet sports, and even lawn mowing with machines.
- Moreover, you can indulge in resistance training, using opposing forces as muscle-building blocks. It helps in developing functional strength and balance. You can use weights, elastic bands, ropes, and water to strengthen the muscles and bones.
Bottom line
We’re all super busy in our lives; thus, we tend to neglect essential health. As we age, several things, such as bones, skin, and more, begin to weaken or loosen. Therefore, it is our responsibility to build habits that can help us maintain our bone health with aging.
Great post.