If you’re wondering how to keep your bones healthy and strong, these tips will help you do just that. Taking care of your bone health is important at any age. During childhood and adolescence, it’s essential for building good bone density, which makes it easier to maintain that density in adulthood. And in adulthood, it’s important to minimize bone density loss and prevent osteoporosis, since bones naturally weaken with age.
How to keep your bones healthy: expert advice
These 8 tips are the most effective and are easy to put into practice in your daily life:
Give your body enough calcium to keep your bones healthy and strong
Calcium is essential for maintaining healthy, strong bones. In fact, bones are the body’s main store of calcium. You can take calcium as a dietary supplement, but it’s essential to get it from your diet by eating dairy products such as cheese, milk, and yogurt, as well as other foods like almonds, sardines in oil, hazelnuts, dried figs, shrimp, and chickpeas.
It is often impossible to get the amount of calcium the body needs from food alone. This is even more common for people who follow a vegan diet, those with allergies to foods high in calcium, or those on restrictive weight-loss diets. In these cases, supplementation is necessary.
Protect your bones and cartilage with collagen
Collagen acts as a protector of the bones, as it improves bone mineral density, making them stronger and healthier. In addition, it modulates osteoblasts, which are the cells that naturally form bone. At the same time, its presence in the body reduces the activity of osteoclasts, which are the cells responsible for breaking down bone tissue that is old or damaged.
That threefold function is why it’s beneficial for bones. You can provide it to your body through supplements formulated with other substances that support bone health, such as minerals, vitamins, or glucosamine. A wide variety of joint and bone supplements available at Robis, such as Collagen Complex or Super Hydrolyzed Collagen.
Get some sun whenever possible to keep your bones healthy
Vitamin D is necessary for maintaining strong, healthy bones, as it is essential for the body to absorb the calcium it receives from food and dietary supplements. It is very difficult to get enough vitamin D from diet alone, and supplementation is often necessary, especially for women going through menopause. However, sun exposure is the body’s primary source of vitamin D.
Whenever possible, expose your face, arms, and legs to the sun for 15 to 25 minutes a day.
Maintain a healthy body weight to preserve bone health
Keep in mind that bones support the body. So it’s not a good idea to put too much weight on them. If your weight is outside the range considered healthy, taking steps to lose weight is a good decision to protect your bones now and in the future.
Get moderate physical exercise to keep your bones healthy
Basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, dancing, or riding a bike promote bone formation and reduce bone loss. So leading an active lifestyle is good for your bones. Choose safe exercises over high-impact or adventure sports that may carry a risk of fracture.
Don’t self-medicate
Some medications are harmful to bone structure. In certain cases, they cannot be avoided, as their benefits outweigh the harm caused by their side effects on the bones. However, avoid self-medicating to prevent the risk of unnecessarily taking medications that are harmful to your bones.
Avoid consuming substances that weaken your bones
Caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco are three substances consumed by a large percentage of the population, but you should avoid them if you want to keep your bones healthy and strong. The reason is that they weaken the bones and make it harder for the body to absorb the minerals necessary for good bone health.
Take care of your hormonal health to keep your bones healthy
You might be surprised to learn that certain hormones affect bone health. Estrogens, testosterone, growth hormone, and thyroid hormone all play an important role in this regard. That’s why quality rest and cortisol management are important.
