Feature: Take Steps to Bone Up Your Health

By Lisa D. Ellis

If you eat a balanced diet and keep your body moving, your bones just may thank you.

As you age, your bones have a tendency to become brittle and increasingly susceptible to fractures. Fortunately, there are simple lifestyle changes you can make to help keep your bones healthy and strong for years to come.

Keeping Your Bones Healthy

As many as 10 million people have osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, and many of them are women aged 55 or older. This is due largely to the fact that women can lose bone mass after menopause.

Many millions more women who don’t yet have osteoporosis do have an increased likelihood of developing it in the future. If you fall into this group, the good news is that you don’t have to sit back and accept your fate. You can put an action plan into place, starting now.

Act Preventatively

There are three easy steps you can take to keep your bones healthy—and free from unnecessary falls and breaks.

Exercise. This is a simple, but extremely important, way to keep your bones strong. If you get the okay from your doctor, consider a combination of high-impact and weight-bearing moves (like aerobics, dancing, jogging and playing tennis) coupled with various stretches (such as yoga and Pilates) to get the most benefit. Weight bearing exercises can help increase your bone mass, while stretching exercises can help improve balance and minimize your chance of falling.

Eat well. A balanced diet is not only good for your health but also for your bones. Calcium and Vitamin D are particularly important to keeping them strong. If you aren’t getting the recommended daily amounts of these on your own, talk to your doctor about taking vitamins or supplements to make up the difference.

Make healthy lifestyle choices. Simple changes can make a big difference when it comes to your bones. The experts stress the importance of quitting smoking, cutting back on alcohol, and getting enough sleep to keep your body at its very best. In addition, you can ask your doctor about having a bone density test. This procedure measures your bone mass to determine your risk for osteoporosis.

Fight Back

If you already have osteoporosis, or you have a low bone mass that puts you at a high risk of developing the condition in the future, your doctor may recommend certain medications that can help prevent the onset of the condition and also treat existing symptoms.

Today as many as half of all older women are affected by osteoporosis, but with a little planning and effort, you can help lower your risk. For more information about taking care of your bones, visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s website at www.nof.org.