Skeletal health is an essential aspect of your overall health. However, many people overlook building a more robust skeleton when trying to get fitter. This article will take a look at some of the best ways to keep your bones healthy and strong! By following these simple tips, you can reduce your chances of developing osteoporosis and other bone-related diseases.
Contents
Get the Right Amount of Calcium
One of the most critical components in your bones is calcium. You have probably heard this said before, and that is because it is essential! Like other cells in your body, bone cells need to be constantly renewed. And just like continuing other parts of our bodies, new bone cells are created when old cells are destroyed. For this process to happen, your body needs calcium to break down old bone cells and rebuild new ones in their place. The renewal process slows down without enough calcium, and your bones become weak. In fact, without sufficient calcium, you may start to experience some of the early warning signs associated with osteoporosis!
Consume Enough Vitamin D and Vitamin K2
In addition to calcium, your body also needs vitamins D and K2 to build healthy bones. While you may be aware of the importance vitamin D plays in maintaining a healthy skeleton, you might not know that vitamin K2 is just as important! Both nutrients work together to enhance bone health by properly activating proteins that transport calcium around your body. Because vitamin D and K2 work with calcium to keep bones strong, it’s vital that you get enough of both vitamins every day!
Maintain A Healthy Weight
While it’s probably not fat, having too much body fat can significantly increase your risk of developing osteoporosis. How weight gain affects mineral content in your bones is vital for keeping your bones strong. When fat cells start to grow larger, the number of minerals stored within a cell will decrease as a result! As a result, having too many fat cells can increase how much calcium is stored and lead to weaker bones. To prevent this from happening, consider maintaining a healthy weight if you are currently overweight. Exercising and eating a nutritious diet can help you do that!
Eat Enough Protein
Yet another way to strengthen your bones is by getting enough protein in your diet. You may be surprised to learn that this macronutrient plays a crucial role in bone health! Protein serves as one of the building blocks for new bone cells and helps keep them strong. Eating too little protein can decrease the number of new bone cells being created, which will lead to weaker bones over time. Additionally, protein is essential for regulating bone metabolism! For this reason, you must try consuming around 50 grams of protein per day if possible.
Get Plenty Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids
If your diet lacks omega-three fatty acids, it may be causing you to develop weaker bones. That’s because these essential macro-nutrients help support bone cell creation and growth. Omega 3s also play a role in maintaining the flexibility of your joints by helping promote healthy cartilage production! If you want to make sure that your body has enough omega-three fatty acids to support strong bones, you can include foods like flaxseeds and walnuts into your diet. If that’s not possible for some reason, taking supplements may be a good alternative.
Keep Moving!
Regular exercise is another way to improve your skeletal health! It can even be more effective than calcium in preventing weak bones from developing! Exercise helps strengthen your bones by increasing the number of muscles surrounding them. As a result, when you lift weights or engage in other types of physical activity, your bones will get stronger too. If you want to get the most out of your workouts, try engaging in 30 minutes or more of cardiovascular activity every day. Not only will doing so help build stronger bones, but it will also help improve your heart health!
Avoid Drinking Too Much Alcohol
While you might enjoy the occasional drink, too much alcohol can hurt your bone health. That’s because alcohol is known to interfere with vitamin D absorption in the body. Vitamin D plays an essential role in activating proteins that transport calcium around your body. Without enough vitamin D, your body cannot use calcium to strengthen your bones! Since alcohol does not provide any nutritional value, you mustn’t exceed one drink per day.
Exposure To Sunlight
You may have been told that it’s dangerous to go out into the sun unprotected as a child. However, spending some time in the sunshine every day is a fantastic way to improve your skeletal health! That’s because exposure to sunlight can help increase your vitamin D level, which is essential for activating proteins that transport minerals to your bones. If you are not consuming enough food rich in vitamin D, you must try getting at least 15 minutes of sunlight every day.
Conclusion
To prevent developing weaker bones as time goes on, you must start improving your skeletal health as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are several different things that you can do to increase the strength of your bones. This article has included many great ways to do this, so, if possible, try implementing as many of these suggestions as you can! If you have any questions about your skeletal health specifically, it is best to speak with your doctor!
