3 Ways to Maintain Your Bone Health

Bone loss can predispose us to injury, and frailty, and make us less resilient to the challenges life throws our way. Osteoporosis put simply is when bone loses its strength and can lead to bone fractures from activities that normally would not hurt it. One in every two women over the age of 50 has osteoporosis which puts them at risk of serious injury. In this article, you will learn three ways to fight back against the natural loss of bone mineral density and the development of osteoporosis.

Nutrition 

• Our bones are made of living cells that die and must be replaced through diet.
• Calcium is the bedrock of our bone, and in order to use it to build Vitamin D is required to absorb what we eat. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends consuming 1,200 mg of calcium and 1000 IU of Vitamin D.
• Vitamin K and phosphorous have also been noted to keep bones strong which means eating leafy greens.
• Speak to your doctor if you are on blood thinners before making any changes to your diet.
• Don’t forget to drink more water. Your urine should be color of light straw or clear.

Physical Activity

• Stressing bones can cause a natural process of remodeling to meet the imposed demand. As a culture, we fail to hold physical activity as important as we drive to work, sit at our desks, and watch sports instead of playing them.
• Our bones are designed to resist forces and can become incredibly strong.
• If you already have osteoporosis, walking, Tai chi, or yoga may be beneficial to ease into more activity.
  • Standing marches, body weight squats, and long walks can preserve bone mass.
  • Avoid bending, twisting, or high-impact exercise such as jumping if you are at risk of a fracture.
• A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association showed a decreased risk of all-cause mortality in those who did strength training at least twice a week.

Glute Bridges

• Keep your core tight and use your glutes to bring your hips up
  • 3 sets of 10 reps is a good place to start

 

 

Chair sit to stand

• Scoot forward in the chair
• Feet are under the knees with toes forward or slightly out.
  •  tilt your torso forward over your feet and drive up pushing through your heels activating your quadriceps muscles.
    • Use your core to stabilize while you maintain a straight spine.
    • 3 sets of 10 reps is a good place to start

 

 

 

 

 

Standing marches

• • Can use the support of a counter or chair with minimal assistance possible.
  • Hold the knee at the top for a second.
  • Brace the core and glutes for stability.
  • 2 sets of 60 seconds is a good place to start.

 

 

 

 

 

Bent over row 

• • Push your butt back using a hip-hinge
  • Keep your core tight and drive your elbows backward.
  • Pausing for a second at the top.
  • 3 sets of 10 is a good place to start

Sleep

• Sleep is when your body enters a state of healing and recovery. During the day while doing things such as exercise you break down tissues and this does indeed stimulate growth. However, without the foundation of 7-9 hours of sleep to build, it will be an uphill battle to improve your bone mineral density.
• Getting fewer than five hours of sleep has been shown to be associated with osteoporosis when compared with 7 or more hours of sleep a night.

Takeaways

• To maintain healthy bones you should
  • Eat protein, vitamins D & K, phosphorous, and water.
  • Load your bones as much as possible while still being safe
  • Sleep in order to grow and repair your cells.

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References

• Weaver CM. Nutrition and bone health. Oral Dis. 2017 May;23(4):412-415. doi: 10.1111/odi.12515. Epub 2016 Jul 15. PMID: 27250737.