Your bones are important. Without them, your muscles have nothing to hold onto and no real use. Osteoporosis is a major factor in women as they age, which is when the bones weaken. It can lead to many problems, including regular breaks and mobility problems. However, it doesn’t have to be that way if you just look after your skeletal structure.
Be Active
Activity isn’t going to weaken your bones. It will help to build stronger muscles, which can support the skeletal structure. It also helps your bones get stronger so they are less likely to break and damage.
Cardiovascular activity is best but that doesn’t mean you need to run. Try swimming, walking or dancing as your exercise.
Eat a Healthy Diet
You may be fed up of hearing about this all the time but a healthy diet really is beneficial. Your bones need all the vitamins and minerals they can get, especially vitamin D and calcium.
These two come from dairy products, mainly, but you can also get them from most dark green leafy vegetables, like spinach and kale.
Improve Your Coordination and Balance
Falling is a major reason for breaks. You can prevent this from happening by improving your coordination and balance.
Visit a physiotherapist, who will be able to give you a range of exercises to help. They have been trained in this area and will know the safest exercises for your bones.
Stop Smoking
Yes, smoking is a leading cause of osteoporosis, along with many other problems. You may not realise it because so much is focused on the cancer and harm smoking does to others.
Do you really want to harm your body so much from one little stick? There are plenty of nicotine products to help you quit if you really need to but going cold turkey could do you more good than harm!
Limit Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol is another problem for the bones. It stops the body absorbing all the nutrients from food, which leads to the bones not getting all the calcium and other vitamins and minerals they need.
Limit your intake—no need to stop drinking completely—and just have one drink per day. Research shows that one glass of red wine is good for the heart!
Watch Out for Your Medication
Take a look at the medication that you take on a regular basis. Some are known to weaken the bones and this is something that you can avoid.
If you have been prescribed something for a condition, talk to your doctor about changing the medication or ask for tips on looking after the health of your bones.
Speak to a Health Care Professional
Always talk to a professional if you are concerned. You may have suffered a break from doing very little or your bones may hurt. Osteoporosis isn’t something that you have to just let happen to you.
A professional will be able to go over your medical history, diagnose the condition and even find treatment that can help prevent it getting worse!