As you get older, you will start having weaker bones. It’s a consequence of reaching peak bone mass by your 30s. Moving forward to your 40s, you’ll start feeling the effects of losing bone mass, such as osteopenia or osteoporosis. Thankfully, you can slow down and even avoid severe bone loss by developing healthy lifestyle habits.
Investing in your bones’ future
Being more mindful about your body’s health is a necessary part of being an adult. Many Millennials who are reaching their 30s need to be more aware of how they treat their body, especially for women who have particularly low bone density. The better you care for your body while it’s still in its prime, the less likely you’ll develop problems in the latter years of your life.
If you want to experience better bone health, here are three lifestyle habits you should develop:
1. Add calcium and vitamin D to your diet
Proper nutrition is an essential part of maintaining a healthy body. As you all know, calcium is a major component of making strong bones. However, Vitamin D is what allows your body to absorb calcium content. For this reason, postmenopausal women need a combination of 1,200 mg of calcium and 600 IU of vitamin D to supplement their body’s nutrient absorption.
Some potential food sources for calcium are the following:
- Low-fat milk (8 ounces): 300 mg of calcium
- Low-fat yogurt (16 ounces): 400 mg of calcium
- Canned salmon (3 ounces): 180 mg of calcium
- Cooked broccoli (1/2 cup): 40 mg of calcium
You can opt for calcium supplements that contain calcium citrate and calcium carbonate if you’re not reaching your daily calcium supplement. However, you must be mindful of purchasing the right product that you need. Don’t forget to add a healthy dose of vitamin D to your diet.
2. Integrate weight-bearing exercise in your workout
Besides upgrading your diet, you should also pay attention to your fitness. Although calcium can help rebuild your bone mass, it won’t have any effect if your body doesn’t require any repairs. This is why you must encourage your body to exercise regularly.
The simplest way to engage your bones is by going around a few laps of walking or jogging. If you prefer static exercises, aerobics is an excellent way to exercise your muscles and bones. Bicycling is also another way to improve muscle mass and strengthen your bones. Going through 30 minutes of these weight-bearing regimens 5 days a week is a healthy quota for your minimum fitness goals.
3. Avoid vices like smoking and alcohol
Besides harming your other organs and systems, nicotine is also extremely toxic to your bones. It’s common for older smokers to have more brittle bones if they maintain a smoking habit past their prime. Additionally, alcohol can also impact your bone’s health adversely. However, you don’t need to quit it altogether. As long as you moderate your alcohol consumption, you won’t have to suffer from excessive bone density loss.
Conclusion
Besides the lifestyle habits above, you should also go on more frequent visits with your physician. If you have a particular chronic disease, you may need more robust solutions to improve your bone health. For this reason, it’s best to consult with your doctor to receive regular tests like bone mineral density (BMD) tests to track your bone’s health. Reaching out to a specialist healthcare facility will be an excellent way to get the right diagnosis of your condition.
Seeking out an orthopedic doctor to assess your bone-related concerns is the best way to monitor your health. If you’re looking for NJ doctors in North Bergen we can match you with the right specialist for your needs. Reach out to our medical professionals today so we can give you a tailor-fit treatment.