How to Improve Your Bone Health At 50 and Up

Everything comes to limit when you reach your 50s. While most people believe that age is just a number, honestly, your age can be more serious than that. Once you age, you start remembering those younger years when you were free to do whatever you want – dance, play, drink, work, and all the other physical activities you were capable of doing. Too bad your bones weaken when you grow older. And a lot of things may change with the way you move and eat.

If you used to drink and smoke a lot or eat the crazy way like skipping meals to achieve that skinny body then your chances would be high for osteoporosis. It occurs when the body loses bone minerals which often results in fracture or breakage. As a result, you get easily tired that even walking becomes a challenge. Osteoporosis can be diagnosed by a bone density test after a series of medical imaging and screening procedures.

Although you experience difficulties in performing certain actions due to osteoporosis, there are still several ways on how you can improve your bone health. This will serve as your prevention to more critical cases that you might experience as you move forward.

Take Vitamin D and Calcium.

Vitamin D and calcium are widely known as the bone’s best friends. It’s like a series of helping one another. Vitamin D supports your bones to absorb calcium nutrients. While calcium is the most essential building block that boosts and makes up your bone tissues. Aside from the morning sunlight, the major source of Vitamin D, you can also take this mineral from green leafy veggies. Whereas fortified dairy products such as milk and cheese are rich in calcium. But do not consume more than enough of them. There is a suggested amount of calcium that you can take every day:

Source: Institute of Medicine (IOM), Nepal, 2010

Take note that too much consumption of calcium can lead to stomach problems such as constipation and kidney stone. The abnormal rate can also inhibit the absorption of other minerals (iron and zinc)  needed by the human body.

Eat the right way.

In protection of skeletal health, eating the right way means you really have to gain enough pounds to achieve your normal weight. In simpler words, you can’t have a very thin body at that age. The more you lose your weight is the more you also lose your bones. Normal fats can help protect your bones from fracture risks after minor accidents such as stumbling from an elevated platform or slipping on the floor.

(1.) Take a moderate amount of protein to increase healthy fats. (2.) Eat ‘a lot’ of fruits and vegetables for they contain other minerals, aside from Vitamin D and calcium, that are essential for strengthening and regenerating the bones. These include Vitamins C and K, B Vitamins, potassium, and magnesium.

Quit alcohols and ciggies.

Your drinking and smoking habits in your 20s and 30s shouldn’t be practiced at 50 and up. Regardless of how you find it difficult, you have to leave all the alcohols and ciggies behind you. Otherwise, you’ll pay the price towards these habits. However, doctors allow drinking a glass or two of wine per day. Research shows that red wine increases bone density and helps in osteoporosis treatment.

Perform a regular body stretching.

Regular exercise can reduce the loss of bone tissues and conserve the remaining others. There is a greater risk of osteoporosis and other skeletal diseases if you keep your muscles unmoving.

Disclaimer: The level of the following exercises may vary based on your health condition. If you already have any skeletal diseases, you need to be very careful with your movements. Do not perform exercises that require bending and twisting of waists to avoid sudden fractures. You may also want to hear your doctor’s advice regarding this matter.