Two hundred and six individual bones make up the human skeleton, the structure of our entire body. When we think about good health it’s easy to overlook bones in favor of our organs, but — let’s face it — we wouldn’t get very far without it. As we begin to age, our bone health becomes even more important and starting young is the best way to guarantee it. Here’s what you can do to take care of your bones.
Eat Calcium-Rich Foods
Eating a healthy, balanced and varied diet will ensure you get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive. One important thing to ensure you’re reaching your targets for is calcium. While dairy such as milk and yogurt is a good source, if you’re dairy free it can also be found in lots of different vegetables, seafood, legumes and fortified foods. A food tracking app such as MyFitnessPal is not only good for tracking fat and calories but also calcium levels. If you find you’re struggling most days to reach your target, adding a supplement like Algaecal can be useful. If you’re unsure, you can find a review of AlgaeCal Plus here, but of course be sure to speak to your doctor before making any important decisions about your health. Eating plenty of calcium-rich foods helps to build up bones and increase density. As we age, we can begin to lose bone cells faster than they are replaced leading to weak and brittle bones (osteoporosis) which are easily broken. Osteoporosis can cause death in many cases, a large number of older adults who fall and break their pelvis never recover and die in the hospital. Having very dense and strong bones, to begin with gives you a better head start against bone loss. You can begin the process of building them up right from childhood, so the sooner you start eating for bone health, the better.
Exercise
Another way to build up bone density as well as strengthen the supporting muscles and ligaments is plenty of exercises. This will benefit every cell in your body, your bones included. Staying fit, healthy and mobile will prevent illnesses, help you maintain and healthy weight and keep you mobile into older age. Don’t see exercise as a chore, stay active by incorporating it into everyday life. Go on walks, hikes and bike rides with friends and family. Take up a sport, go to the gym or join a dance class. When you find something, you enjoy it doesn’t feel like hard work and allows you to keep it up.
Quit The Alcohol and Cigarettes
As if you needed another reason to quit the booze and cigs, not only are they bad for the lungs and liver but can cause the loss of mineral density in bones too. If you’re having a hard time quitting, speak to your GP who will be able to give you tailored advice about what to do and things you can try. If you want to live a long and healthy life, they are two dangerous vices that it’s time to wave goodbye to.
