7 Ways To Keep Your Body Healthy, Active, And Pain-Free

Jul 29, 2018 by apost team

Age has a habit of making it gradually more difficult to be active. Some of that is due to a loss of bone density, either through disease or the passing of time. Over time, your bones start to diminish, which makes them brittle and often painful. With 206 bones in your body, that's a lot of potential for pain. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to prevent or slow down the progression of bone loss.

Don't Smoke

istockphotos.com/Sezeryadigar

Yet another reason why smoking is bad for you is that it lowers estrogen levels in humans. Estrogen is one of the hormones responsible for calcium absorption. Balanced estrogen levels can help prevent osteoporosis, so stay away from those yucky cigarettes.

apost.com

Do Yoga

istockphotos.com/
Pinkypills

Yoga is a fantastic way to strengthen your bones and the muscles supporting them. All it takes it 12 minutes a day to see a marked improvement. If you're already showing signs of bone disease or are at risk, make sure to take on poses that aren't too tricky.

Have A Drink Or Two

istockphotos.com/PeopleImages

There is some evidence that having a drink or two of alcohol a day can increase your bone density. Of course, you should talk to your doctor about your overall health before consuming alcohol.

Bone-Strengthening Exercises

istockphotos.com/sanjeri
san

Oddly enough, you can strengthen your bones with exercise, just like you can muscles. Of course, long-distance running is too high-impact to be helpful, but a good dose of low-impact exercise can really help you keep your bones healthier for longer.

Eat Soy

istockphotos.com/Diane Labombarbe

Soybeans are interesting in that they have chemicals that can mimic estrogen in terms of bone health. After menopause, women do not make enough estrogen, among other things. Including soy in your diet can help pick up the slack.

Get The Right Vitamins

istockphotos.com/happy_lark

Vitamin D, for example, produces a hormone called Calcitrol. This hormone allows calcium and phosphorous to be quickly absorbed into the blood stream, making this vitamin one of the most vital factors in bone health. So eat more fatty fish, cheese, and egg yolks to keep your bones in shape!

Got Milk?

istockphotos.com/piotr_malczyk

This is perhaps the most obvious way to prevent osteoporosis and keep bones healthy. Calcium is so important to bone health because, when reserves are low, the body will actually use the calcium stored in bones in other systems. Over time, this can weaken bones and lead to bone conditions like osteoporosis. So drink milk, eat leafy greens, almonds, and certain types of sea foods to keep your bones strong and healthy!

Do you know anyone at risk for bone loss or osteoporosis? Let them know about these 7 tips for bone strength.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!