Healthy Bones

Supporting our bones is important, especially as we age since we lose bone density as we get older. Both diet and physical activity are key – making sure you get enough calcium and vitamin D along with incorporating weight-bearing exercises can help. Read on for more information on the top three ways to help keep bones healthy.

Calcium

Calcium is a major building block of bone tissue and is the most abundant mineral in your body. In addition, this mineral is essential for many other functions throughout the body like muscle contraction, nerve signaling, blood clotting, constricting and relaxation of blood vessels, and the release of hormones such as insulin.

Every day, your body is depositing and removing calcium from your bones as part of normal bone turnover. But if you don’t eat enough calcium, you could be removing more calcium from bone than you’re depositing, which can weaken them over time. It’s important to consume calcium every day, throughout the day, aiming for 1,000 mg and 1,200 mg if you are 71 years of age or older. Good sources of calcium are found in foods like:

• Plain, low-fat yogurt and milk
• Leafy green vegetables, like kale, broccoli, and bok choy
• Nuts, especially Brazil nuts and almonds
• Soybeans (edamame) and tofu
• Calcium-fortified cereals

Vitamin D

Vitamin D supports your immune system and also helps your body absorb calcium, so calcium and vitamin D are often thought of as going hand in hand. Our bodies can actually make vitamin D when we absorb ultraviolet (UV) rays from sun exposure – just 10 to 15 minutes per day is all that is needed for most people! But, it’s also important to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays, which can lead to skin cancer. Using sunscreen, while important to reduce your risk of skin cancer, can limit the amount of vitamin D our bodies make, so it’s important to eat food sources of vitamin D too.

The recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 600 IU and goes up to 800 IU per day if you are older than 70 years of age. Unfortunately, most people aren’t getting nearly enough vitamin D through food and sunlight. It’s best to have your doctor test your level of vitamin D to see if you are deficient and determine if a vitamin D supplement might be a good idea! Food sources of vitamin D are rather limited, and include:

• Oily fish, like salmon, sardines, and mackerel
• Eggs
• Liver
• Fortified foods including certain dairy foods and cereals

Weight-Bearing Exercise

Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise each day can help to keep bones strong and even improve bone health. The good news is that if you find yourself short on time, breaking exercise up into three 10-minute bouts of movement is just as effective as one longer period of exercise! Try these exercises to build bone density:

• A simple walk or climbing stairs is considered weight-bearing and is good for joints and bones.
• Strength training doesn’t have to be with only the heaviest weight you can lift! Using 2-3 pound weights can help build bone density.
• Holding a plank is a great full-body, weight-bearing exercise.
• Yoga can help improve balance, which may help to reduce falls and broken bones as we age. It also incorporates stretching and weight-bearing movements.

If you like what you read here, consider reading more articles related to Complex Health And Fitness Needs, 7 Ways How To Balance Them. At Trusted Nutrition we strive to provide you with news and articles from health and fitness to training. You can subscribe to our website and receive a notification every time a new article pops up!