Preserving Bone Health
With another year just around the corner, strengthening your bones can be one of your top new year’s resolutions. Bones make up our skeletal system, which provides our body support and shape, shields our vital organs, and facilitates movement by offering a rigid structure for muscle attachment. According to recent research, preserving bone density as we age can have a beneficial effect that goes beyond bone health, helping to modulate muscular, metabolic, and cognitive health. So what to do? The two main strategies to strengthen your bones are everyday movement/exercise and eating healthy foods.
Everyday Movement and Exercise
Any weight-bearing activity will stimulate the body to make more bone. It can be as simple as walking because each step we take (moving our body with gravity in the equation) helps to cue the body to strengthen the bones. Taking long walks is a plus. You can add some brisk walking, jogging, or running. I also like using a jump rope at home and stairclimbing at the gym.
Body weight exercises are needed too. Choose whichever ones are easy for you to do on a regular basis. Try the four Primal Essential Movements (planks, pushups, squats, and pullups)! Weight-lifting, whether at home with some light dumbbells/kettlebells or at the gym, is yet another great option. According to the Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid, strength training doesn’t have to be more than twice a week for 10-30 minutes at a time.
Beneficial Foods
Having an overall healthy diet, with no ultra-processed foods and minimal sugar intake, is the main thing. To this, keep in mind that consuming collagen (a protein building block of bones and other tissues) found in bone broth, for instance, and leafy greens (a significant source of calcium and vitamin C) will benefit your bones a great deal. And don’t forget foods high in omega-3 fats that enhance bone health such as sardines, anchovies, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. Last, thinking about nourishing your joints goes hand in hand with the health of your bones.
Have a Wonderful New Year!!
References
Lipman, D. F. (2022, December 12). 7 Ways to Save Your Bones and Keep them Healthy. Frank Lipman MD. https://drfranklipman.com/2022/12/12/7-ways-to-save-your-bones-and-keep-them-healthy/
Lippert, L., & Hurrell, J. (2017). Clinical kinesiology and anatomy. (p. 13) F.A. Davis Company.
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