Bone health is vital as you get older. Brittle bones cause aches and pains, and they’re more likely to fracture during an accident. You don’t want to trip over your own feet and then end up in the hospital with a broken hip.
Women need to pay extra attention to their bone health as they get older because they have a high risk of developing osteoporosis. Menopause drops estrogen levels, which affects bone density. So, post-menopausal women are more likely to develop osteoporosis.
How can you stop this from happening? Here are four tips that you can follow to maintain or improve your bone health.
1. Exercise
Regular exercise will help you build muscle and strengthen your bones. Resistance training and weights are excellent activities to improve bone density. If you’re not comfortable doing these workouts, try low-impact activities like swimming and walking. A workout every day will make a huge difference.
What if you’re not motivated to exercise? It’s hard to motivate yourself to work out on your own. Sometimes, you need an extra push to be active. A senior living community like All Seniors Care Sage Hill Residence encourages residents to get up and active by hosting exercise classes and activities every single week. If you joined this senior community, you would be motivated to sign up for Zumba lessons, take up yoga classes or swim in the pool. There’s so much to do. You won’t want to stay on your couch for long.
2. Get More Calcium
Calcium is an essential mineral for good bone health. It’s also been linked to better heart, muscle and nerve health. As you age, you can incorporate calcium-rich foods into your diet and ask your doctor whether you should take calcium supplements.
3. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is another nutrient that is important for maintaining bone health. It helps your body process calcium. Without enough Vitamin D, your calcium-rich diet and supplements won’t be very effective. So, how can you get more Vitamin D in your life? Here are some easy options:
- Soak up the sunshine. Sunlight is a natural resource for Vitamin D. Go outside during the day for at least twenty minutes a day to get your daily dose. Just remember to put on sunscreen ahead of time.
- Eat fatty fish like wild salmon, Albacore tuna, rainbow trout or sardines.
- Eat cereals fortified with Vitamin D.
- Drink milk fortified with Vitamin D.
- Take daily supplements.
4. Quit Smoking
Smoking cigarettes come with a lot of health risks: high cholesterol, heart disease, lung disease, blood clots, poorer vision, and of course, bone problems. You should quit this habit as soon as possible. If you’re having trouble, look at these tips for quitting smoking to help you stop the dangerous habit once and for all. It will be worth the effort.
Bone health is something that you can change, even in your golden years. Exercising, quitting smoking and taking the right vitamins will make your bones stronger than they’ve been in years. It’s never too late to make a healthy change. You can do this!
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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