Bones have a crucial part to play when it comes to supporting your body, protecting organs, providing structure, and acting as attachment sites for muscles. They work jointly with tendons, muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that allow proper movement. But with the lack of calcium in your body, Vitamin D deficiency, and severely restricting food intake, your bones become prone to the risk of becoming weak and brittle.
Osteoporosis is one of the prime reasons which weakens bones, making them more susceptible to unexpected fractures. It is a condition that occurs mostly in the hip, wrist, or spine. Some of the symptoms of osteoporosis are back pain, loss of height over time, a curved stooped shape to the spine, and weakened bone that breaks much more easily than expected.
Some of the preventive measures to treat osteoporosis:
Exercise
Exercise is one of the best medications for osteoporosis. It boosts the immunity of the body and makes muscles, tendons and ligaments tough and stronger. Making a daily routine of performing weight training exercises will not only benefit your bones but will also help you in remaining active throughout the day. Combine strength training exercises such as squats, hip thrusts, chest presses, etc with weight-bearing and balance exercises like walking, jogging, stair climbing, and more to strengthen the bones and reduce the risk of falling.
Calcium-rich diet
Eating foods that are rich in calcium is quintessential for building and maintaining healthy bones. To maintain healthy and strong bones, a calcium-rich diet is necessary. Calcium provides the skeleton’s strength and structure, as well as supporting muscle and nerve function. Try to include milk, cheese, other dairy foods, and green leafy vegetables in your daily diet.
Get enough sunlight
Exposure to sunlight is the best way to get Vitamin D for your bone health. Aim to get 10-30 minutes of sunlight daily as it helps you in strengthening your muscles and bones. Despite sunlight exposure, many individuals still remain deficient in Vitamin D. In these cases, you can consult your medical provider and take the needed supplements.
Limit alcohol consumption
Excess alcohol consumption can have a huge impact on your bone health. If you are a heavy drinker then it can interfere with the balance of calcium existing in your body. Limiting alcohol consumption is extremely essential if you want to prevent osteoporosis and lower fracture risk.
Vitamin-D rich diet
Vitamin D enhances the body’s ability to absorb calcium and hence further improves bone health. Foods such as oily fish, red meat, egg yolks, sun-dried mushrooms, and fortified foods such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals should be included in your daily diet if you want to improve your bone health or prevent falls.