Fighting Bone Loss

Losing bone mass is a natural consequence of aging, especially in women post menopause. While osteoporosis is a concern, and the most commonly diagnosed bone disease, the loss of bone density due to aging can be devastating even without a diagnosis. Low bone density can result in your bones and hips breaking easily, severely limiting your mobility and curtailing your independence. Fortunately, there are a few changes you can make to your lifestyle and habits to keep your bones at the optimal health and strength for years to come.

For most people, they usually think of calcium when it comes to vitamins and minerals for bone health, but in fact vitamin D serves just as much of a role. Vitamin D is a hormone that helps your body to absorb and use calcium. Without it, your body can’t make use of enough calcium to bolster bone strength. While vitamin D is naturally made in the body as a response to sunlight, it can also be found in leafy greens and salmon, or taken on its own as a vitamin supplement.

As well as vitamin D, higher protein intake for seniors was correlated with a higher bone density. By adding lean meats, fish, cheeses, and other high protein foods into your diet along with calcium, you can keep your bones healthy.

Resistance exercises like weightlifting will not only help you maintain a strong, capable body as you age, the stress it puts your skeletal system under will stimulate your bones to increase their density. If you can’t handle much weight at the start, don’t worry. Keep at it and you can work your way up gradually.