How to Promote Good Bone Health

Blog Category: Health

Our body tells us in various ways that we’re getting older and need more attention in certain areas, including our bones. Depending on your lifestyle choices, your body could be giving you gentle or more severe warning signs to make some major changes. Luckily, there are things you can implement in your routine to promote good bone health and live a strong, independent life.

Age-related Changes to Bones, Joints, and Muscles

Our bones are living tissue that changes in structure as we age, resulting in the loss of bone tissue and, therefore, weakening our bones. Bones lose density as we age for various reasons, including hormonal changes, an inactive lifestyle, and a lack of calcium and other minerals.

While our joints do not directly connect to the bone, they become stiffer and less flexible as we age from less lubricating fluid, shortened ligaments, and thinner cartilage. Like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz needing oil to loosen his joints, you’ll need to find even the simplest ways to move your body daily so you don’t fall prey to a sedentary lifestyle!

Now, what do our muscles have to do with bone health? Because our bones and muscles are directly connected, they have a natural cause and effect on each other’s health. When your muscles grow stronger from exercise, they have to pull harder on your bones, making your body strengthen those bones. On the flip side, the less you workout or strengthen your muscles, the less they’ll pull on and strengthen your bones. Muscles also lose size and strength as we age, causing fatigue and lack of tolerance to exercise, a vicious cycle considering you’ll need to exercise to strengthen them!

Stay Active

Did you know that over half of age-related changes to bones, joints, and muscles are caused by disuse? That’s why you’ll often hear people in the healthcare and wellness industries say the phrase “use it or lose it” when talking about our bodies’ strength and agility. Maintain your independence and gain strength when you add these exercises to your weekly routine:

  • Balance Training Exercises to improve balance and prevent falls, such as lunges, tai chi, and step-ups.
  • Resistance Training Exercises that add resistance to movement to make muscles work harder and grow strong, such as pullups, pushups, rowing, and weightlifting.
  • Stretching to maintain joint flexibility and prevent muscle injury.
  • Weight-bearing Exercises to produce a force on bones to make them work harder, such as brisk walking, dancing, jogging, running, or racket sports.

Eat Well

To keep your eyes healthy, you’ll need to load a better plate with food rich in nutrients like calcium, magnesium, Vitamin D, and zinc. Here are some foods that are good for bone health:

  • Dairy products like cheese, milk, and yogurt
  • Egg yolks
  • Fish like mackerel, pilchards, salmon, and sardines
  • Foods with lots of protein, like avocados, beans, legumes, and poultry
  • Foods with omega-3 fatty acids, like chia seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts
  • Fortified cereal, flour, and milk
  • Green leafy vegetables, like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, and okra
  • Nuts
  • Potatoes
  • Sauerkraut
  • Soya beans
  • Tofu

Obstacles in Promoting Good Bone Health

If you want these steps to have a shot at making a difference in your bone health journey, there are some things to be mindful of that may affect your progress:

  • Added sugar in cookies, soft drinks, and other processed foods causing your body to flush out calcium and magnesium
  • Aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer treatment, corticosteroid medications, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and other drugs that can negatively affect your bones
  • Celiac Disease, low-calorie diets, and weight-loss surgeries that can affect your food or calcium intake
  • Substance use, such as drinking and smoking, that can lead to bone fractures

Visit Your Doctor

Your bone health is an essential part of your healthcare that shouldn’t be neglected as you get older, so be sure to explore the ways you are covered under Medicare or Medicaid. While diet and exercise can do wonders for your bones and overall health, factors like family history, hormonal levels, and other underlying conditions may prompt a doctor’s opinion on the best lifestyle changes for you. There are many issues with our bones we can experience as we age that are important to pay attention to and seek professional help when necessary:

Looking for some helpful tips on your fitness journey? Check out our ebook, Improve Your Fitness Over 60!

At Life Enriching Communities (LEC), we’re committed to ensuring you feel well-equipped to plan their future and age how they wish. Explore more resources on senior living or contact us today to learn more about our legacy of services and programs that bring meaning and purpose to every stage of life.