Bone Health Is Important
Bones literally provide the support and structure for our bodies and every movement we make, every step, reach, grab, and pull or push is a result of how well our bones provide that support.
Strength, safety, and the ability to stay active as we get older is very dependent on bone health.
You’ve probably heard your doctor, or other healthcare providers say that in order to maintain healthy bones you need to maintain your calcium and take other measures to prevent calcium depletion. Here are some ways to do so.
1. Vitamin D
Did you know that Vitamin D is essential for your body to properly absorb calcium? If you are not getting enough Vitamin D, it’s possible that even if you are taking Calcium supplements, you aren’t getting the full benefit. The RDA for Vitamin D is 600IU.
Vitamin D is actually more like a hormone that your body can generate when it gets sunlight. It is essential for many metabolic processes. Even during the winter months, do your best to get outside and get some sun. It’s critical to your health. At least 30 mins of fresh sunlight every day!
Another way to improve your Vitamin D is to eat more fish and egg yolks. Both have tons of vitamins and minerals your body needs but are great sources of Vitamin D as well.
If you need to supplement your Vitamin D you can get it in gelcaps or tablets. Just remember those are never the best way to get nutrients. Your body want them from natural sources if possible.
2. Muscle Development
Did you know that your bones respond to stress by making themselves stronger?
Our bodies are made to move and work. When we don’t move and don't work, things start to break down. Bones are a great example of this.
When you use your muscles, the pull on the bones tell the bone that it needs to build more bone to manage the strain of being pulled on (Wolfe's Law).
The more muscle activation you get from resistance training, the more dense and strong you bones become leading to decreased facture to the bone. This can be done with lifting weights or resistance bands, but bone can also grow with isometric resistance.
3. Eat More Protein
Everything your body needs to grow and get stronger comes from proteins. This includes your bones.
If you aren’t eating enough protein, you body has to pull it out of muscle tissue. When you lose muscle, you lose bone density and strength….it doesn’t help anything for that to happen.
You need to eat protein. Most people don’t eat enough and the rate of poor bone health in the US is a good indicator of that. 1 in 2 women and 1 in 4 to 5 men have low bone mass.
You should be getting about 0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds you should be getting about 120g to 160g of protein every day.
This is one of the easiest changes you can make that will have a positive impact on your bone health.
I hope these three things are helpful and you can take this information and make some positive changes in your routine.
Special Thanks to:
Bronson Dant Creator of the APEX Training System, for this Blog Post.
References from PTX:
https://www.nof.org/preventing-fractures/general-facts/
https://www.nof.org/preventing-fractures/nutrition-for-bone-health/nutrients/
