Today, almost everyone is quite familiar with the role of calcium and exercise for stronger bone development. However, only fewer persons actually understand the dynamics and relevance of healthier bones in the human body. This contributes to the prevalence of weaker bones, especially in adults, and the inadequate intake of healthy vitamins for strong bones.
Stronger bones for every age
Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced. A network of bones make up the skeletal system across the human body. Although, our skeletal framework may seem the same from person-to-person, however, a bone density test will likely reveal certain distinctive features in each bone.
Unfortunately, we often crave the idea of stronger bone but fall short in the practice of achieving it. From cradle, children rely on strong bones for their physical growth and development. At their crawling stage, they depend on the bones of their skeletal system for weight support and as a scaffold to enable them to stand upright. Afterward, kids require healthier sets of bones to withstand the vagaries of their childhood. Since they are susceptible to falls, fractures, and dislocations, pediatrics always emphasizes the need for stronger bones to protect fragile organs such as the brain and heart.
Most adults, on the other hand, pay very little attention to their bone health until they reach menopause or andropause. In their youth/early adulthood, they often expose themselves to certain habits that threaten strong bones. These may include a prolonged sedentary lifestyle, excessive alcohol consumption, and tobacco use.
Osteoporosis is one common condition that threatens bones to become weak and brittle. It occurs when new bone formation is hindered from replacing the wearing off of old bones. Osteoporosis-related fractures mostly occur in the hip, wrist, or spine of aged persons.
The body of kids and teenagers produces new bones faster than it breaks down old bone; thus, increasing bone mass. Unfortunately, this process declines with age and sometimes hits a peak at the age of 30. Here are the three secrets of stronger bones:
Exercise
It’s never too late to start improving your bone density through passive and active acts of fitness. Our bones react to the impact combination of force and respond with more bone-growth stimulation. Research shows that putting the body through high impact exercises helps to improve bone density and mass.
In the same vein, young adults must abstain from sedentary tendencies and embrace a moderate, self-paced exercise program at least. Fitness routines with much of push-ups and weight-lifting are best in building bone mass. When possible, they should be combined with yoga, jogging, and swimming to increase your bones’ flexibility.
People in their 50s and above must also undertake light and self-paced exercise program of their choice for endurance and strength training. Regular exercise for the aged ensures balance, coordination, and muscle strength of their skeletal system. This way, they reduce their risk of falling and fractures and improve aerobic capacity.
Exercise could be more fun than you thought. On a few occasions, dancing with a friend or running up and down the stairs, a few times a day may be enough good to the bones than you thought.
Calcium
The bone contains 99.5% of the total calcium in your body — this has explained why the human body needs about 1,000 -1,200 milligrams of calcium a day for healthier bone formation. Calcium can be found in low dairy products as well as soy products and Calcium-fortified cereals.
Once you suspect you are getting enough calcium from your diet, quickly consider taking calcium supplements. An easy and more effective method of replenishing your calcium intake is to take an oral calcium supplement. Insufficient calcium intake significantly contributes to the outbreak of osteoporosis.
Today, there exist many over-the-counter supplement choices such as calcium carbonate and calcium citrate. However, a potent supplement must combine the highest concentration of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D to become a formidable, one-stop formula for stronger bones.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D becomes part of the bone-strengthening formula because of its role in improving your body’s ability to absorb calcium and improves bone health. Sunlight is a source of vitamin D, but if you are looking to build strong bones, you need 600 to 800 international units (IU) of vitamin D (daily) through food or supplements. Good food sources are Vitamin D-fortified milk, Egg yolks, and Fatty fish.
What Next?
If you are looking to stay active, strong, and mobile into old age, you must invest in storing ample bone mass as possible —and this entails investing in healthy habits, exercise, and nutrition. The above-listed points already give a clue of what you need. What next, is figuring out your compliance so far and drawing up a plan to cover up your shortcomings.