3 Ways to Strengthen Bone
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Bone strength is more important than you think. The skeleton does more than support your muscles and protect your soft organs. Bones actively contributes to your health by producing blood cells and storing two very important minerals, calcium and phosphorus. However, what really makes bones stand out is their ability to regenerate through a process called remodelling. About every 10 years, you are getting a completely new skeleton. This is because your bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves. For many years, your body builds enough bone to replace what it loses—creating a sturdy scaffold of calcium, phosphate and collagen. However, around age 35 to 40, your bones begin to break down faster than they can be rebuilt, which leads to a decreased bone density and potentially, over time, osteoporosis. The good news is there are steps you can take to help your bones stay healthy:
- Consume Calcium with Vitamin D
Calcium is the poster for building strong bones, but in order to do its job in building bones efficiently, it must have its side kick with it, vitamin D. Calcium needs vitamin D in order to be able to be suitably absorbed into the digestive tract.
Dairy is a great source of calcium as well as kale, tahini and almonds.
- What to Drink
Too much alcohol and soft drinks can decrease bone density. The best beverage to drink is plain water for overall health. If you get bored of plain water, spice it up with a slice of lemon or lime. You can also add a splash of maple syrup for something a bit sweeter.
- Get Moving
Recent research shows we should keep moving for bone health. Interestingly, jumping is great for bone density. The force from such high-impact activities sends signals to your bone-building cells that it’s time to get to work. In a 2014 study in the American Journal of Health Promotion, researchers measured the hipbone density of premenopausal women over the course of 16 weeks and found that ‘after 16 weeks of high-impact jump training, hip BMD can be improved in premenopausal women by jumping 10 or 20 times, twice daily, with 30 seconds of rest between each jump, compared with controls.’
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