How to Keep Your Bones Healthy
Your structural frame, the thing that defines your body shape, consists of bones. That makes them important to how you move. Are your bones as dense as they could be? Are you doing anything to maintain bone density, and maintain healthy bones? Do you fear falling, because you may break a bone? As we age, these are real concerns. It may even color our activities. We are less likely to challenge our balance if we fear falling. Skiing, ice skating, and getting off a boat onto the dock may no longer appeal. Leaving your house when there is snow outside might keep you inside.
Bone Density tests reveal that, as we age, bone structure becomes weaker, more porous, and brittle. Bones become more susceptible to injury, fractures, and breakage. Snap! Followed by…damn! Although they feel like it, bones are not hard, solid masses; they are honeycombed structures that regenerate themselves from the inside out, rebuilding and replacing old and damaged bone.
Food choices can make a difference in how well and how strong that bone is regenerated. Calcium has been shown to stave off bone deterioration, and good sources of calcium include spinach, collard greens, salmon, and dairy products. Vitamin D is all the rage now, and for good reason: it helps your bones absorb calcium. No Vitamin D? No calcium absorption. Vitamin D is found in eggs, orange juice, mushrooms, and fatty fish. Vitamin K is another helper for bone strength. It helps move the calcium from your circulating blood to your bones, where it’s needed. Vitamin K foods include chicken and cottage cheese. Finally, Vitamin C insures that your bone cartilage stays strong, and helps to prevent bone loss. Vitamin C foods include citrus fruits, bell peppers, broccoli, and kale.
Intelligent food choices go a long way toward keeping your bones healthy. In addition, loads on the bone, such as jumping rope, skipping, and jogging can increase the bone mineral density in your bones. If you cannot jump, because of bad somethings (knees, hips, feet, or osteoporosis), consider resistance training (bands or springs) to increase bone health. Remember how active you were when you were a child? Try to act more like that and less like your current age. It’s more fun, and you will be helping your health.
That’s Aging Intelligently.