Though we hopefully gain more wisdom as we get older, we also may notice our bodies start to decline from our younger days. In fact, many of us will start noticing changes such as more days of aches and pains or our joints suddenly creaking when we walk as painful reminders that our bones and muscles are also aging. Therefore, here are some ways to improve bone strength that could prevent further bone and muscle deterioration down the road.
In order to protect all 206 bones that make up our skeletal frame, it is important to check bone density. Women are especially prone to weaker bones during menopause because of less estrogen. After all, estrogen is what helps build bone tissue. However, lack of proper childhood nutrition and calcium could result in weaker bones later in life for women as well as men.
Thus, it is helpful to pay attention to adding more calcium rich foods such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, soy milk, tofu, etc. You also want to include more foods with vitamin D such as fatty fish like salmon, sardines to mushrooms, etc. along with dried plums. The vitamin D is needed to help the calcium to be better absorbed. The best way to get that recommended daily 1,000 milligrams of calcium is through eating.
Unfortunately, everyone processes nutrients differently, which could mean that you also may want to add a calcium supplement. Please search a vitamin that has some sort of industry standard verification on the label to avoid the horrible ordeal with an unexplainable rash that I went through.
Another way to improve bone strength is exercising at least two days a week. You don’t have to run a marathon to benefit. All that you need to do is moving enough to put weight on your bones and muscles in the process like walking, running to weight-bearing aerobic exercises that are low impact like stair climbing, elliptical training machines to ones like jogging.
Something that you should keep in mind is listening to what your body is telling you while exercising to avoid musculoskeletal damage. Pain is a sign that something is wrong. As a result, you don’t want to force yourself when working out if it hurts. Take some time to heal or rest or you could risk injury from that same activity.
What you may want to do is alternate your aerobic activities during the week. This change in the exercise routine could concentrate on developing different muscle groups and joints.
If you do injure what you think is a muscle, you may want to apply ice. Ice may freeze the pain for a minor muscle ache, but research has shown it slows healing. Since the area is now inflamed, the ice makes it temporarily shrinking blood vessels that deny entrance to those repairing white blood cells that normally would come to the body’s aid.
A better approach to a minor muscle pain is using a foam roller. It can help unknot tight tissues in spasm enough to increase blood flow to the area. I also found the Myo Rhkr roll that has a stainless steel roller ball helpful for massaging pain as well.
Bone strength is something that you may not think about until you break a bone or injure muscles or cartilage. Yet, it is a good idea to have your doctor give you a bone density test once you reach 65 and incorporate these tips into your life sooner than later to keep strong.
