5 Tips for Bone Health
By the time you turn 30, your bone density and strength is at its peak. For several years after that most people will maintain a similar bone density (the exception being post-menopausal women who lose bone density faster). Between ages 65 to 70 years old, women and men are losing bone mass at the same rate. Approximately 52 million Americans have osteopenia (low bone density) and osteoporosis (brittle bones). While your sex, race and hormones all contribute to your rate of bone loss, you can influence your bone health through diet, supplementation, and exercise.
What is Bone?
Bone is a living and growing tissue that’s made up of collagen that creates a flexible framework and calcium phosphate which is responsible for adding strength. Your bones and teeth have more than 99% of your body’s calcium. Through a process called bone remodeling, your body absorbs old or damaged bone and lays downs new bone material over a period of months. Remodeling occurs throughout our lives as a metabolic process and in response to the demand placed on our bones through load, impact and compression. Vitamin D also plays a role in bone remodeling as it is tied to calcium absorption. Maintaining bone density is essential for everyone and especially people with osteopenia and osteoporosis as they have a greater risk of bone fractures.
5 Tips for Bone Health
1. Eat your veggies
You’ve heard the benefits of eating your veggies a thousand times, but now you can add enhance bone health to the list. Veggies are an abundant source of vitamin C which helps to stimulate bone-forming cells so they can help prevent bone loss.
2. Take supplements
Most Americans do not get enough vitamin D and it helps your body absorb calcium. You can get vitamin D from the sun, but taking a supplement can help maintain optimal levels. Your doctor can check your vitamin D level through blood work and recommend the appropriate dose for you.
3. Consume protein and calcium-rich foods
Since 50% of your bones are protein in the form of collagen, ensuring you eat enough protein daily is important to maintain your bone health. Eating calcium-rich foods throughout the day is also essential for bone health. The recommended daily intake of calcium is 1,000 mg for most adults; 1,200 mg for women over 50 and everyone over 70. Good sources of calcium-rich foods include dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), seeds (poppy, chia, sesame), sardines, beans, lentils, almonds and calcium-fortified foods such as some cereal, bread and tortillas.
4. Maintain a healthy weight
It is ideal to maintain a stable, healthy weight for our bones. Being too thin or too heavy can be problematic for your bones as both low body mass index and obesity are contributing factors in fractures.
5. Exercise
Exercise with a focus on alignment, train balance, and move in a variety of ways to support your bone health. Pilates is particularly good at improving alignment and should be considered as an option for anyone diagnosed with osteopenia and osteoporosis. Training balance reduces fall risk and the likely hood of fractures. Exercise that incorporates resistance, weight bearing and cardio training all improve bone health and outcomes. Exercise variety is essential, keeps movement fun, and has been shown to be better than participating in a single sport or activity. Bone is living tissue that remodels under load, compression, and impact so get moving and stay moving.
It’s important to be mindful of maintaining your bone health and Pilates, Functional Fitness and OOV classes are a great way to improve alignment, train balance and incorporate variety into your fitness routine. Please call or text Taylor Pilates and Fitness at 303-472-6743 to schedule your next session.